Movies Merica: Recent Episodes
Van Ebert
This is the home of movie reviews mixed with ice cold brews for movie fans everywhere. You'll have fun listening as Van Ebert reviews movies, spoiler-free, while sampling a new beer brew every episode. Feel free to visit moviesmerica.com and also leave a rating and review for this podcast wherever you listen. Also check out Movies Merica on Twitter and Instagram.
Hey! Feel like the topic of political violence doesn’t come up near enough nowadays? Have you ever been doom scrolling and thought, “This is cool and totally not rotting my brain, but ya know what would be cool? Putting this up on a movie screen for 2 hours and 41 minutes!” If this is a current and accurate description of you, dear reader, get ready to be happy because boy! Is “One Battle After Another” for you! Leonardo DiCaprio plays Bob who for most of the movie is a broken down, always behind, drugged out criminal who was part of an anti-America militia. Just picture Antifa. They bomb buildings, they rob banks, they break into illegal alien holding facilities and free the illegal aliens. Fast forward and he’s hiding from the authorities with his high school-aged daughter. All along an immigration enforcement figure, named Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw and played by Sean Penn, is after him and his daughter. Will they elude the authorities and continue to break the law consequence free? Is it worth finding out at the theater? Check out this Movies Merica episode to find out! “One Battle After Another” also stars Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Chase Infiniti, Shayna McHayle, Paul Grimstad, Dijon Duenas and Brooklyn Demme.
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You may think the American economy stinks now but it’s still not bad enough to warrant the twisted walk that’s portrayed in the movie “The Long Walk.” This movie takes place in a alternative history that resembles the 1950s. There was a great war and most people are in poverty. However there is an annual event called The Long Walk that’s meant to inspire every state in America to work harder to make the country prosper again. A man from each state is chosen to participate in The Long Walk from a pool of men from each state who signed up. If you are the last man remaining at the end, you’re rich and you are granted one wish for whatever you want. The rules? Very simple. If you stop walking long enough, you get shot dead. So lace up your Nikes and try not to have too much fun! The Long Walk is run by a character called The Major who is portrayed to be a malevolent, heartless blowhard so it makes sense he’s played by Mark Hamill. Is it worth checking this movie out at the theater? Check out this episode to find out. “The Long Walk” also stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Roman Griffin Davis and Judy Greer.
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In “The Conjuring: Last Rites”, Ed and Lorraine Warren have worked over a thousand cases as spiritually guided paranormal investigators, helping save people from demonic forces. That doesn’t mean they’ve seen everything and this latest case might be the one that breaks them. This is the real-life Smurl case in suburban Pittsburgh, where the introduction of a possessed mirror into their home, also introduces evil spirits. In addition to that, the evil spirit within the possessed doll, Annabelle, continues to haunt Ed and Lorraine’s daughter. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens next? Watch this episode to find out! “The Conjuring: Last Rites” stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Rebecca Calder, Elliott Cowan, Kila Lord Cassidy, Beau Gadsdon and Molly Cartwright.
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Fighter pilots have “Top Gun.” Race car drivers have “F1” and “Days Of Thunder.” What movie did firefighters have up until 1991 to put their heroics on full display? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, until a director, mostly known for making comedies, decided that firefighters finally get their day in the sun. That director was Ron Howard and the movie that helped the aura of firefighters burn so bright is the movie I’m reviewing in this episode of Movies Merica. That movie is “Backdraft.” Kurt Russell and William Baldwin play Stephen and Brian McCaffrey, two brothers who grew up in a family of firefighters in Chicago. To put it mildly, they don’t like each other very much. Stephen is a veteran firefighter and Brian is his younger brother still trying to carve out his niche in life. Brian decides his latest venture is to go into the family biz and fight fire too. Add to the family friction, a series of mysterious deaths due to fires, that may or may not be murder. Many of you have seen this classic, but for you of those who haven’t, is it worth checking out? Watch this episode of Movies Merica to find out! “Backdraft” also stars Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Jason Gedrick, J.T. Walsh, Tony Mockus Sr., Cedric Young, Juan Ramirez, Kevin Casey, Jack McGee and Mark Wheeler.
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In the new Ron Howard movie, “Eden”, a group of disillusioned Europeans settles on a remote, uninhabited island in the Galápagos. They’re inspired by a man, played by Jude Law, who came to the island and supposedly found happiness. They soon discover that their greatest threat isn't the brutal climate or deadly wildlife, but one another. Human nature is what it is after all. Sinful. As tensions spiral and desperation takes hold, a twisted power struggle unfolds, leading to betrayal, violence and death. Is it worth a trip to the theater to find out all that happens? Check out this episode of Movies Merica to find out! “Eden” also stars Ana De Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Bruhl, Sydney Sweeney, Jonathan Tittel, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace, Ignacio Gasparini, Richard Roxburghand Paul Gleeson.
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The star of “Nobody 2”, Bob Oedenkirk, typically plays sleazy, cowardly, funny characters, like in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” However, in the “Nobody” movies, he gets to stretch his acting chops by playing an unassuming, middle-aged, ass-kicking secret agent, named Hutch Mansell, balancing life with a wife and two kids. In this sequel, since he’s always gone dishing out pain, his family is under strain. He’s a neglecting husband and an absent Dad. It’s time for urgent action to remedy the situation. It’s serious time for a family vacation. As you find out, Hutch kinda sucks at planning a vacation and he ends up taking his family to an old, dilapidated vacation resort called Plummerville. They try to make the best of it until trouble finds them and some bad guys make Hutch turn the vacation into a slaycation. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens next? Find out in this episode of Movies Merica! “Nobody 2” also stars Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, John Ortiz, RZA, Sharon Stone, Colin Hanks, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath, Colin Salmon, Jacob Blair and Daniel Bernhardt.
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If you like a horror movie that will keep you guessing and constantly exclaiming “OMIGAWD WHAT AM I WATCHING!!!?”, then the movie “Weapons” just might be that movie for you. This movie is brought to us by the director of the surprise horror hit from 2022, “Barbarian.” That would be one Zach Cregger and we’ll see if he goes two for two with this latest offering from him. “Weapons” starts off with the plot point that suddenly 17 elementary school kids, all from the same class, suddenly run out of their houses at 2:17am, and never return. Naturally suspicions are pointed at their teacher, Ms. Gandy, played by Julia Garner. One of the sources of suspicion is a father of one of the missing kids played by Josh Brolin, who’s questioning of Ms. Gandy leads them both into a path of darkness. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens next? Check out this episode to find out. “Weapons” also stars Alden Ehrenreich, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, Scarlett Sher, Jason Turner and Amy Madigan.
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In 1998, we got the sequel to the movie “The Fully-Clothed Gun”, known as “The Naked Gun.” Leslie Nielsen played ace detective Frank Drebin who showed everyone the wrong way to be a cop. Now, in 2025, we’re getting the inevitable. A remake of “The Naked Gun” starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. who now has to carry on his father’s legacy of being a cautionary tale with a badge who shoots first, asks questions much later, sometimes never. This reboot is brought to us by the same guys who brought us “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and countless SNL skits, the Lonely Island boys. They get some help from Seth McFarlane from the “Ted” movies and “Family Guy.” Pamela Anderson, who never saw a boat she didn’t have fun on, plays Frank’s love interest. Sorry, no boat scene in this movie. They go up against the evil tech billionaire that I’m sure wasn’t at all modeled after Elon Musk. He’s played by Danny Huston who slimes his way across the screen. The original “Naked Gun” movies at hilarious quips and sight gags galore, and they landed most of the time. How many land in this reboot and is it worth going to the theater to see? Find out in this episode of “Movies Merica Live” with special guest star Adam from “Vets Talkin!” “The Naked Gun” also stars Paul Walter Houser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, Eddy Yu and Michael Beasley.
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In this episode we talk about what is no doubt the most anticipated movie of 2025, James Gunn’s “Superman.” Gunn is more known for his quirky movies with unusual characters engaged in constant frenetic action. This time he takes on the most well-known superhero, the first son of Krypton. No small feat. Can he make everyone with their own idea of who they think Superman should be happy? In this latest Superman movie, Superman (David Corenswet) has been protecting Earth for a few years along with working at the Daily Planet with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan.) In the meantime, his arch nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is hatching plans with the government to rationalize taking Superman out. Superman just might need all the help he can get and he might get that from the Justice Gang with Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific and Hawk Girl. Also, we can’t forget Superman’s furry friend, Krypto. Can Superman survive what Lex and the government got coming for him? Is it worth going to the theater to find out? All will be revealed in this episode of Movies Merica. “Superman” also stars Frank Grillo, Alan Tudyk, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Sara Sampaio, Dinesh Thyagarajan, Wendell Pierce, Michael Ian Black, Beck Bennett, Skyler Gisondo and Mikaela Hoover.
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We learned about dino DNA for the first time in 1993 with the first Jurassic Park movie. That DNA must have staying power but they’re still churning out Jurassic movies 32 years later. This time, in “Jurassic World: Rebirth”, it’s Scarlett Johanssen, post-Black Widow, taking the lead. She plays Zora, a merc hired by a questionable pharmaceutical rep to help a dinosaur expert get access to a forbidden area where dinosaurs still roam free. This is all to get some dino DNA to help cure heart disease. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens next? Check out this episode to find out! “Jurassic World: Rebirth” also stars Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacano and Ed Skrein.
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In 2022, director Joseph Kosinski wowed us with amazing sights from inside fighter jets in “Top Gun: Maverick.” In 2025, he’s dropping our jaws to the floor with awesome sights from inside F1 race cars in the summer blockbuster “F1” starring Brad Pitt. PItt plays veteran driver Sonny Hayes who is asked by his friend, who owns a team, to help them win and maybe mentor their young driver too. Hayes soon finds that today’s racing is fraught with betrayal, nasty media, corrupt F1 officials and that’s before he gets in the missile with tires going 200+ mph. Is it worth finding out how it all goes down at the theater? Check out this episode to find out. “F1” also stars Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris, Tobias Menzies, Kim Bodnia, Sarah Niles, Will Merrick and Callie Cooke.
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First there was “28 Days Later.” Then “28 Weeks Later.” This week we got “28 Years Later.” We better appreciate this one big time because the next one has to be “28 Decades Later”, and none of us will be around. For now, let’s focus on “28 Years Later”, which is the latest in this series of movies centered around an outbreak of what’s called the Rage Virus. People are infected with the Rage Virus and then infect others by biting them or getting their infected blood into a person somehow. In 2007, “28 Weeks Later” was released, so this new movie takes place 28 years after that, hence the title. In this installment, there are people living on an island in the UK, including Jamie, his wife Isla and their son Spike. Jamie and Spike go venture into mainland UK to forage for supplies so Spike can get his first kill of the infected. Things go sideways though and it changes Spike, as does a betrayal that Spike witnesses. He soon takes his Mom back to mainland UK in search of a doctor since she has severe medical symptoms and they realize the infected have evolved which isn’t good news for them. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens next? Check out this episode to find out! “28 Years Later” stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Alfie Williams, Christopher Fulford, Sandy Batchelor, Kim Allan, Sienna Giblin and Amy Cameron.
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You know the John Wick movies are successful when they’re making spin-off TV series and movies off of that franchise. This week we get the first, and most assuredly, not the last John Wick spin-off movie, “Ballerina.” Ana De Armas takes the starring role in this as another assassin who, like John Wick, was trained to kill by the Ruska Roma criminal organization. Perhaps she’s even more lethal than Wick because no one expects her to be an assassin. We saw a preview of De Armas kicking butt as an agent in the Bond film “No Time To Die.” Here she gets a whole movie to showcase her killer talents. In this, her main objective is to use her particular set of skills to find her parent’s killers and no one better get in her way. Is it worth checking out this action at the theater? Check out this episode to find out. “Ballerina” also stars Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Angelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ava Joyce McCarthy, Juliet Doherty, Norman Reedus, Lance Reddick, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, David Castaneda, Victoria Comte and Robert Maaser.
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Did you just watch a feel good movie and need to rid yourself of the good feelings? Then the movie “Bring Her Back”, from the directors of “Talk To Me”, just might be what the doctor ordered. There’s nothing sunny and bright about this movie, but it is a horror movie, so that tracks. Piper and Andy are step-siblings who are placed with a foster mom, Laura, after tragedy strikes. Laura is a bit “off”, to say the least. Plus she has a clearly troubled young boy living with her. The longer Piper and Andy live there, the scarier and bloodier it gets. Plus, it becomes apparent that Laura is up to something sinister, involving her recently deceased daughter. Is it worth going to the theater to find out what happens? Check out this episode to find out. “Bring Her Back” stars Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Mischa Heywood, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sora Wong, Stephen Phillips and Sally-Anne Upton.
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The Mission:Impossible movies started in 1996 with Tom Cruise playing Ethan Hunt for the first time. Now 29 years later, we might be getting the last Mission:Impossible movie with “Mission:Impossible The Final Reckoning.” We were left with a cliffhanger in the last Mission:Impossible movie, so we’ll perhaps get the conclusion we’re looking for. Is it worth going to the theater to see if we do? Check out this episode to find out! “Mission:Impossible The Final Reckoning” also stars Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Holt McAllany, Janet McTeer, Angela Bassett and Nick Offerman.
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Have you ever been watching a classic vampire movie like “Fright Night” or “The Lost Boys” and thought, “This is good, but this could be great with two of the guy who played Apollo Creed’s kid in those ‘Creed’ movies as well as some blues music and a dash of racial commentary!”? Well, put up your black square on Instagram and clutch your George Floyd bobblehead in celebration because a celebration is a comin’! Your reason for celebrating is the movie “Sinners” from director Ryan Coogler. He directed the Black Panther movies and the first two Creed movies and sinks his teeth into the vampire genre with his latest movie. No “Wakanda Forever” in this. More like “Live Forever” in this southern-fried take on vampire movies. Coogler’s favorite leading man, Michael B. Jordan plays both Smoke and Stacks (Get it. Smokestack!), identical twins who’ve made a name and some money in the criminal game. Now they’re coming home back down south from Chicago to open up their own juke joint for dancing, drinking and gambling. Their own little taste of Vegas in the Deep South. Along the way they pick up their younger cousin, Preacher Boy Sammie, who is very talented with a guitar and a blues voice from the heavens. He’s played by the impressive Miles Caton. Before long, some vampires show up to try to make the good times last forever but in a blood-sucking evil way and the movie goes from bluesy crime drama to stakes in the heart and burning vampires. Is it worth your time at the theater? Check out this episode to find out! “Sinners” also stars Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Hailee Steinfeld, Yao, Saul Williams and Omar Miller.
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“War is hell” is a common phrase, but as we live our peacetime lives, it can be hard to visualize what that phrase really means. The movie “Warfare” provides a way to see and comprehend that phrase. The movie is directed by “Civil War” and “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza. Mendoza was one of the soldiers in the middle of the real-life battle that this movie shows. Garland and Mendoza don’t hold back on showing the shocking, brutal and bloody side of war. If you know someone with PTSD and you want to understand, at least a little bit better what would cause something like that, this movie is for you. In this movie, Navy SEALs are sent out into Ramadi, Iraq where they gather in a multi-story home to surveil insurgents. The team settles in and goes through the tedium of just sitting and observing. Their sniper starts noticing a build-up of men getting closer to their position and soon that quiet tedium is over as the explosions start and the bullets start flying. The team does all they can to fight off the insurgents and call in to get evacuated out but what happens next just ratchets things up to a whole other level. Is it worth finding out what that is in theaters? Check out this episode to find out! “Warfare” stars Will Poulter, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Aaron Mackenzie, Alex Brockdorff, Finn Bennett, Evan Holtzman, Michael Gandolfini, Joe Macaulay, Laurie Duncan, Noah Centineo, Taylor John Smith and Charles Melton.
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Val Kilmer was one of the most eclectic and enthralling actors of his generation and one of the movies that heavily showcased this is this week’s movie, “The Salton Sea.” Kilmer showed he could be wacky, like in “Top Secret!” and “Real Genius” or deadly serious like in “Spartan” and “The Doors.” In “The Salton Sea” he sort of combines those two and it makes for an entertaining and captivating performance. If you want a movie that leads you down one path, en route to setting an expectation, just to subvert it, and does it multiple times, “The Salton Sea” just might be for you. Kilmer plays Danny Parker, a trumpet player, who has a faithful marriage to a beautiful wife until that all comes to an end. Afterwards, his life becomes a drug-filled downward spiral as he joins the perpetual night party of the tweaker to cope, or is that why he’s really doing it? We don’t know. He’s also a confidential informant for a couple of L.A. detectives who want him to set up a maniacally, murderous drug dealer named Pooh Bear. This is a drug dealer known for killing people suddenly just because he doesn’t like the tone of their voice. Also, Danny is told that he’s been marked for death for something he didn’t do, so things went from beautiful and romantic to pitiful and manic really quick. Is Danny Parker for real, or is he someone else? Will he survive the vortex of violence he finds himself in? Is it worth finding out in this lesser known Val Kilmer movie? Check out my spoiler-free review on this episode to find out! “The Salton Sea” also stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Goldberg, Luiz Guzman, Doug Hutchison, Anthony LaPaglia, Glenn Plummer, Peter Sarsgaard, Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, BD Wong, R. Lee Ermey, Shalom Harlow, Sherry Knight, Meat Loaf, Azura Skye, Josh Todd and Danny Trejo.
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There are a few thing certainties you can count on in movies. If it’s an Adam Sandler movie, there’ll be at least one fart joke. If it’s a Jason Statham movie, there’ll be at least one dude getting a limb broken and plenty of punching. This week’s movie “A Working Man” that bill. Statham plays Levon Cade, who used to be an elite military operator, but now tries to make an honest living as a working man in construction. He works for land developer Joe Garcia, played by Michael Pena, who knows what he used to do. When Joe’s daughter is kidnapped, he pleads to Levon to find and return her. Levon has a young daughter himself, so he can feel this father’s pain and agrees. That decision lights the fuse on a bloody mission to find the girl. The human traffickers responsible for taking her, have no idea who is on their trail. Levon makes them very aware of who’s hunting them, one by one. Levon has to intimidate, go undercover and just plain go on all-out frontal assaults as part of his quest. Is it worth going to the theater to find out how it all ends? Watch this episode to find out. “A Working Man” also stars Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, Cokey Falkow, David Harbour, Noemi Gonzalez, Arianna Rivas, Isla Gie, Emmett J Scanlan and Eve Mauro.
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I’ll admit it. All us guys, at one point or another, have fantasized about being some one-man action hero that kicks a bunch of bad guy butt to rescue a beautiful woman. It’s a great fantasy until reality kicks in and you start thinking “I don’t wanna do that! I could experience pain!!!” The main character in this week’s movie, “Novocaine”, doesn’t have to worry about the pain part AND he reluctantly has to be a one-man action hero. “Novocaine” stars Jack Quaid as Nate Caine, a young bank assistant manager who has a condition that prevents him from feeling any pain. He lives a solitary, boring, uneventful life as a soft-spoken, gentle guy until one day a beautiful co-worker named Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder, asks him to lunch. This takes the movie into cutesy-pie rom-com territory where Nate and Sherry just click as a couple and all of a sudden Nate is walking on sunshine. That is until the bank robbery. Nate’s bank is hit by some no-good bad guy bank robbers and wouldn’t you know it, they take Sherry as a hostage to get away from the cops. Well Nate isn’t going to let some baddies just take his new lady love away from him without him doing something about it. Gone is the fantasy and enter reality. Nate is on a mission to rescue HIS beautiful woman and he’s got the advantage of feeling no pain. This of course makes for so many great scene possibilities and writer Lars Jacobson digs in and takes full advantage. Does Nate succeed and save his damsel in distress? Of course he does! However, is it worth going to the theater to see it? Check out this episode to find out! “Novocaine” also stars Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Conrad Kemp, Evan Hengst, Craig Jackson, Lou Beatty Jr., Garth Collins and Tristan de Beer.
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I have a movie telling a harrowing true life tale about a deep sea, or saturation, diver in mortal peril this week called “Last Breath.” It stars Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole and Cliff Curtis. As you know, there are thousands of miles of pipes in the ocean and somebody has to maintain them. That’s where saturation divers come in. They dive to dangerous depths out in the middle of freezing cold, dark oceans, so deep they have to compress and decompress for four days. The movie centers on three divers, Chris, Dave and Duncan, who are all on the same diving team. As you’d imagine, the oceans can get pretty rough and that’s what happens in this movie that ends up being one of the reasons for this ordeal. Circumstances have it to where Chris is disconnected from everyone else on the ocean floor with only ten minutes of oxygen. Thanks to the rough oceans, and the ship losing its computerized system that keeps the ship sitting still in one place, the ship gets further and further away from Chris. Can the rest of the crew make it back to Chris in time or will it just be a body recovery operation? Is it worth going to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out. “Last Breath” also stars Mark Bonnar, MyAnna Buring, Josef Altin, Bobby Rainsbury, Connor Reed, Nick Biadon and Riz Khan.
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We’re now up to the 35th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that movie is “Captain America: Brave New World.” At the end of “Avengers: Endgame”, the OG Captain America, Steve Rogers, gave Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) the Captain America shield. Sam, had been Falcon up until that point, starting in the movies with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” After, the “Falcon And The Winter Soldier” Marvel TV series, the Sam Wilson version of Captain America is in his own movie. Captain America is tasked with making sure that some bad characters don’t get their hands on some adamantium retrieved from the Celestial Being, seen in “Eternals.” It’s crucial because if it’s lost, it threatens dismantling a peace deal that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is trying to strike with countries, all who want to harvest materials from the Celestial Being. This triggers a chain of events which include an assassination attempt on President Ross, the discovery of a secret lab with clues of nefarious activity and the appearance of Red Hulk. Is this movie worth checking out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out! “Captain America: Brave New World” also stars Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Xosha Roquemore, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, William Mark McCullough, Takehiro Hara and Harsh Nayyar.
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If you thought you hated Valentine’s Day, you’ve got nothing over the serial killer in “Heart Eyes.” No Hallmark cards, 2 hour wait times at a fancy restaurant and overpriced flowers for this killer. This Heart Eyes Killer’s MO is to kill couples in different cities every Valentine’s Day. You’ll see people get maimed in this movie but ubiquitous rom-com movie tropes get pummeled as well in a bitingly witty way, while the blood flows. Olivia Holt plays Abby who is trying to get over a break-up and she has a meet-cute at a coffee shop with Jay, played my Mason Gooding, who orders the exact type of drink she does. Very cliche right? “Heart Eyes” enjoys creating moments like that to just pull the rug out from under them and couples it with a no-holds-barred graphically violent slasher flick. To that end, Abby and Jay eventually find themselves getting chased by the Heart Eyes Killer so this courtship will have to happen while avoiding getting slashed by a psycho. Typical stuff. “Heart Eyes” also stars Jordana Brewster, Devon Sawa, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Yoson An and Jacque Drew.
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Do you have that problem where someone is always asking you to watch a romantic movie but the movie has too much of that, ya know, love and romance? I just might have the solution you’ve been looking for in this week’s movie “Companion.” This movie is a romantic movie in marketing only to perhaps help you get your special someone to watch it with you. Then you’ll both get to watch how the movie spins its head and becomes a twisted, malevolent, bloody, yet funny, series of devious plot twists. What kicks off the movie is Josh (Jack Quaid) and Iris (Sophie Thatcher) traveling out to a remote lake house to just have a weekend hang with Josh’s buddies. It’s a fun, casual environment as they all eat, drink and be merry. Josh and Iris are getting along swimmingly with everyone else. Then something deadly happens and Josh and company have to go into “we’re on a mission” mode before any devious plans are revealed and more people die. Who will live? Who will die? Who will try this apple pie I just made? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to see. “Companion” also stars Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillen, Rupert Friend, Jaboukie Young-White, Matt McCarthy, Marc Menchaca, Woody Fu and Ashley Lambert.
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In 1993 Mel Gibson’s first directorial effort was a smaller movie named “The Man Without A Face.” Since then he’s made nothing but big, epic movies like “Braveheart” and “Hacksaw Ridge.” Now he’s going back to his smaller movie roots with the suspense thriller “Flight Risk.” Mel starred in “Father Stu” with Mark Wahlberg and apparently they forged a friendship because Wahlberg is the name at the top of the poster for this movie. In Gibson’s latest directorial effort, Wahlberg plays a pilot flying a U.S. Marshal, played by Michelle Dockery and her cooperating government witness, played by Topher Grace, out of Alaska in a small plane. Seems pretty straightforward right? Not so much, otherwise we wouldn’t have a movie. As this movie’s trailers show, Wahlberg is really a hitman hired by the mobster that the witness will testify against. After Wahlberg makes his move against them, the U.S. Marshal manages to subdue and restrain him. Now she has to try to fly a plane, with no training, while keeping an eye on the witness and especially on the hitman. Will the marshal and the witness make it out alive? Who else is involved in this assassination plot? Is “Flight Risk” even worth putting your seat in the upright position and stowing your tray table to watch? Find out in this episode! “Flight Risk” also stars Leah Remini, Monib Abhat, Paul Ben-Victor, Maaz Ali and Eilise Patton.
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In 1941, we got the classic Lon Chaney Jr./Bela Lugosi “The Wolf Man.” Chaney looked more like an angry psychotic meth head with a Justin Timberlake haircut back then. Now in 2025, we get a much updated hairy, scary dude with “Wolf Man” directed by Leigh Whannell. This isn’t Whannell’s first classic monster movie re-make rodeo. He also directed the 2020 “The Invisible Man” which was a critical and commercial hit. In “Wolf Man” we’re introduced to Blake and his wife, Charlotte, and daughter Ginger. Blake grew up in the remote wilderness of Oregon with just his Dad where all manner of danger lurks, but is now a writer in San Francisco. Events have him return to Oregon with his wife and daughter to his childhood home. His Dad with him, and now Blake with his daughter, are aggressive with how committed they are to keeping their child safe. It turns out, for good reason, from what we see in this movie. On the way up to the house, they get into an accident, in the middle of the woods. Soon it’s made apparent, they are not alone, and this new presence is no friend. Soon they find themselves in Blake’s childhood home trying to keep a wolf man out, but since Blake was cut by the wolf man, Charlotte and Ginger find that a danger is slowly emerging from inside the house. Time is ticking away for them. Will they survive the wolf man outside and what Blake is becoming on the inside? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to hear what I think. “Wolf Man” stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Benedict Hardie, Sam Jaeger, Mathilda Firth, Leigh Whannell, Ben Prendergast, Milo Cawthorne and Zac Chandler.
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In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of this classic from director David Fincher, it’s IMAX showing & its release on 4K, I’m doing a retro review of “Se7en.’ Brad Pitt plays Detective David Mills, who moves to a crime-ridden city with his wife, and is paired up with retiring detective William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman. Thanks to a serial killer that appears to be preaching and forcing attrition on his victims concerning the Seven Deadly Sins, there will be no easing into the job for Detective Mills. Everything in this city is grimy, nasty and dark and so is what this killer is doing to teach seven peopkle a “lesson.” It’ll take Somerset’s temperance, wisdom and patience, along with Mills’ drive, energy and passion to bring this killer down, if the killer doesn’t take them, or a loved one, out first. This is the first of three films that Brad Pitt and David Fincher made together and it also made Fincher a top tier director. “Se7en” also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Reg E. Cathey, Peter Crombie, Hawthorne James, Richard Schiff and Kevin Spacey.
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This week’s movie had to be financed by multiple prepper supply companies because I wanted to go buy a bomb shelter and some remote land as the end credits rolled. That movie is “Homestead” which tells the story of a group of people that hole up in a self-sustaining remote survival compound known as The Homestead, after a nuclear detonation in L.A. It’s owned by Ian Ross, played by Neal McDonough from “Band Of Brothers”, “Minority Report”, “Walking Tall” and other projects. He hires Jeff Ericksson, an ex-Green Beret and his men, to support and defend The Homestead. Ian needs them because America is falling apart, when the Russians also shut down power all over the country, and people start panicking. Ian finds himself in a battle of wills with Jeff, and even his own wife, over what The Homestead can do for people on the outside. Some want to help as many people on the outside and others do not and this feud just heightens the tension. This comes to us from the same studio, Angel Studios, that brought us “Sound Of Freedom” and this movie is really the pilot episode of a new “Homestead” TV series. Is this movie/pilot episode worth checking out? Check out my spoiler-free review episode to find out! “Homestead” also stars Dawn Olivieri, Susan Misner, Jesse Hutch, Bailey Chase, Kevin Lawson, Currie Graham, Olivia Sanabia, Kearran Giovanni, Grace Powell, Tyler Lofton and Jarret LeMaster.
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J.R.R. Tolkien gave us the book “The Lord Of The Rings” 69 years ago and creators are still adapting that legendary work. Do they always respect his work and not mangle it to reflect their worldview? Definitely not. See “The Rings Of Power” TV series. This week we get a movie adaptation of a very brief side story to “The Lord Of The Rings” in anime form. That movie is “The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim.” This movie appears to have the full backing of Peter Jackson, who directed the exemplary “The Lord Of The Rings” triilogy and the not so exemplary “The Hobbit” trilogy. This new movie features the kingdom of Rohan and its king, Helm Hammerhand and his war against Wulf, who vows to kill Helm because Helm killed his father with one punch. What’s new, that was most definitely not in the “Appendices” book that Tolkien wrote, that this movie is based on his Hera Hammerhand, Helm’s daughter. She’s really the main character in that she’s portrayed as the main savior of Rohan. When the war becomes too intense, and Rohan is on the brink of extinction, the people of Rohan retreat to what they call the Hornburg. Thanks to the movie “The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers”, it prominently became known as Helm’s Deep, named after Helm Hammerhand. Helm is voiced by well-known character actor Brian Cox. Can Helm, Hera and the people of Rohan survive the war against Wulf? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out!
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Many people think that Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson is a Christmas movie. This week I retro review a Mel Gibson movie, Fatman, that leaves no doubt that it’s a Christmas movie. I mean, Gibson plays Santa Claus so come on! Now this isn’t your fantastical, wondrous North Pole that you see in Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer or Elf. Gibson’s Santa lives on a very northerly remote farm location instead in this more grounded, brilliantly bizarre and violent Christmas tale. Santa and Mrs. Claus are falling on some hard financial times with all the money they’re spending on making and delivering gifts to all the kids worldwide. In comes the U.S. military to provide them a new lucrative opportunity to make their not-so-merry money mayhem go away. Santa has to wrestle with his convictions in deciding on accepting these new “milk and cookies” from them. As if that weren’t enough, he has no idea that a kid, who rightfully got coal for Christmas, has hired a hitman to kill him. The hitman, played by the fantastic Walton Goggins, also has a certain bone to pick with jolly ol Saint Nick. Woe to anyone that gets in his way in his mission, including Santa’s elves. Is it worth you delaying your Christmas shopping to watch Fatman? Check out this review to find out! Fatman also stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Chance Hurstfield, Susanne Sutchy, Robert Bockstael, Michael Dyson, Deborah Grover, Ellison Grier Butler, Eric Woolfe, Lynne Adams and Ekaterina Baker.
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Has your Christmas season ever consisted of a squirrel terrorizing your family, a rusty eyesore flea-bitten RV parked out in front of your house, putting up so many Christmas lights you blackout the rest of the city, a SWAT team attacking your house during a kidnapping, etc., etc.? That’s just what’s in the stockings, not to mention what’s under the Christmas tree, in this week’s movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday black eyes are healing and the leftovers are stale so it’s time to get some Christmas movies under our belt this season. Christmas Vacation was the Vacation franchise rebound from the utter failure that was European Vacation. Chevy Chase returns as the dim-witted Clark Griswold, who this time is just trying to put together the perfect Christmas for his family. It’s a beautiful plan on paper until you put a guy named Clark Griswold in charge of it, and add in Cousin Eddie played by the perfect for the role, Randy Quaid. Of course Clark, as he always does, tries too hard and things get burnt, soaked, maimed, etc. You know, like your traditional Christmas. This movie is a go-to Christmas classic for many and it deserves a deeper dive into. So let’s tear the gift wrapping off this movie and dig in! Christmas Vacation also stars Beverly D’Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, John Randolph, Diane Ladd, E.G. Marshall, Doris Roberts, Miriam Flynn, William Hickey, Sam McMurray, Nicholas Guest, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brian Doyle-Murray and Nicollete Scorsese.
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It’s been 24 years since “Gladiator” took the world by storm and spawned a whole new era of swords and sandals movies. Will it’s sequel “Gladiator II”, our movie for this week, do the same? We shall see. This time the main character is Lucius, who we met as a young boy in the original “Gladiator.” He’s the son of Lucilla, and it’s revealed in the trailers, the son of Maximus, Russell Crowe’s character from “Gladiator.” Lucius suffers a tragedy early in the movie and is made a slave and then rises up as a gladiator for Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington. Macrinus is not all he appears to be and is proven to be power hungry and wants to use Lucius as his instrument for power. Another main character is General Acacius, played by Pedro Pascal, who is the leader of the Roman army who fight for Emperor Geta and Emperor Caracalla, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger respectively. Acacius isn’t exactly excited anymore to be dispatched like an errand boy by these emperors to kill people all over the world and conquer lands. Connie Nielsen returns to play Lucilla and as she sees a particular gladiator fight in the Colosseum, she starts to get a feeling that she knows this man. All of these worlds will collide. Sometimes sequels surpass the quality of the original. Does “Gladiator II” accomplish that feat? Check out this episode to find out! “Gladiator II” also stars Derek Jacobi, Yuval Gonen, Rory McCann, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, Tim McInnerny, Alexander Karim and Lior Raz.
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In anticipation of the upcoming release of “Gladiator II”, I’m retro-reviewing the Best Picture Oscar-winning original “Gladiator” this episode. You will not have to ask if you’re entertained with this review because “Gladiator” is one of the most beloved movies of all time. It’s the movie that made even your Grandma aware of who Russell Crowe was. It launched a whole era of swords and sandals movies and TV series afterwards. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe playing General Maximus Decimus Meridius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife who would have his vengeance in this life, or the next. Many motivational and meme-worthy quotes were introduced into the zeitgeist by this movie: “Are you not entertained?”, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” I could go on, and I will, in this episode all about this Ridley Scott classic about a Roman general, made a slave, who became a gladiator then later, the savior of Rome. You could consider this part of your “homework” for brushing up on what happened in “Gladiator” before you rush out to see “Gladiator II.” “Gladiator” also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Djiman Hounsou, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, David Schofield, John Schrapnel, Tomas Arana, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan and Sven-Ole Thorsen.
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Hugh Grant is most well known for his comedic and gentler performances in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “About A Boy.” That’s not what you’re getting from ol Hughie in this week’s movie I’m reviewing, “Heretic.” In this movie he comes off like he’d be right at home being roommates with Hannibal Lecter. He plays the mysterious Mr. Reed, who two Mormon women visiting his home to perhaps convert him, are unfortunate enough to meet. The women are Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton, played respectively by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, and they early on suspect that their conversion attempt might turn into a survival game. Mr. Reed is no uninitiated, uninformed candidate for religious conversion. You realize that he’s very well versed in all things religion. However, you also realize he’s got other characteristics that are more sinister that the poor sisters just might have to worry about. What are those characteristics? Will the poor sisters make it out alive? Is it worth finding out in theaters? Check out this episode to find out! “Heretic” also stars Topher Grace, Elle Young, Julie Lynn Mortensen, Haylie Hansen, Elle McKinnon and Anesha Bailey.
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Remember a scant 12 years ago when, if you wanted to see election stupidity, you likely had to watch a comedy movie? A movie like the subject of this week’s review, “The Campaign”, where you see all kinds of crazy hi-jinks. Of course, most of the zany stuff you see in this movie seems quaint compared to what you see in our elections nowadays. This year’s presidential election is why I’m reviewing this Will Ferrell/Zach Galifianakis political comedy where Ferrell plays Cam Brady and Galifinakis plays Marty Huggins. They’re both running for a congressional seat and Marty, the newcomer to the political game, finds out how sick and depraved running for office actually is. Marty isn’t what you’d call your typical steak and eggs, iron-jawed, hard hat-wearing, sports-lovin’, rugged man’s man. The donors pretty much running his campaign, the Motch Brothers played by John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd, send their man to “man” Marty up. Cam is the corrupt veteran congressman and he’s bound and determined to make Marty sorry he even thought about running. That just fires Marty up even more to beat Cam but will it change him for the worse? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out. “The Campaign” also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Katherine LaNasa, Sarah Baker, Brian Cox, Karen Maruyama, Grant Goodman, Kya Haywood, Randal D. Cunningham, Madison Wolfe, Thomas Middleditch, Josh Lawson, Heather Lawless and Jack McBrayer.
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I don’t know if you know this but you’re lucky to be alive. Everyone in the universe was on death’s door on January 6, 2021. Even the Death Star quaked in fear when grandma’s stormed the Capitol rotunda and an armed insurrection, minus the arms, shocked the universe. Now the Babylon Bee, because love to cuddle with democracy is bringing us the documentary that Darth Trump and his evil Empire that drips drool and has garlic breath doesn’t want you to see. I give you “January 6: The Most Deadliest Day.” This documents how we’ve never had riots ever before in this country but January 6 was the very first one and it’ll never be topped. There were lecterns being moved and guys in Viking helmets and grandmas in pink Trump shirts! The horror!!! The Babylon Bee takes into this heart of darkness with interviews with most deadliest day experts and with insurrectionists who were there who probably hate puppies and musicals. In closing, as my hands tremble just typing about this most deadliest day, check out my review of “January 6: The Most Deadliest Day!” This documentary features Siaka Massaquoi, Kyle Mann, Jarret LeMaster, J. Travis Woodside, Michael Knowles, Dennis Prager, Adam Christian Johnson and Jacob Chansley.
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If you’re one of those people that tell others that they should smile more, you likely stop doing that after watching the Smile movies. The latest installment is “Smile 2” which carries on the grin win that was 2022’s “Smile.” In this sequel, we pick right up after the events of the first movie which then introduces us to Skye Riley, a world famous pop star, who is the next in line for the smile curse. She sees someone off themselves right in front of her and the curse is bestowed upon her as is the plot of these movies. Of course, she starts seeing freaky-deaky visions that gradually drive her mad and causes her to lash out and embarrass herself. Considering that she’s a Taylor Swift-type world famous pop star, this raises the stakes exponentially as she’s being driven insane but in the very public eye. Can she defeat the smile curse and how many people will die in the process? Is it worth a trip to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out! “Smile 2” stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Drew Barrymore, Lukas Gage, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo, Zebedee Row and Roberts Jekabsons.
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In this episode, I discuss a sequel that may or may not have really been needed. That sequel is “Joker: Folie a Deux” which means Joker: two people sharing a delusion. The original “Joker” from 2019 was a movie that most people weren’t looking forward to but ended up being a $1 billion dollar surprise at the box office. It wasn’t just a great movie based on a comic book character. It was a great movie period with it’s entertainingly dark atmosphere and menace and a Best Actor Oscar-winning performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Now Phoenix returns to show us the rest of Joker’s story after we last saw him being a bad boy at Arkham Asylum. Does he escape? Does he continue to create bloody havoc? Will he meet a pop star in prison? Well, that last one is true as we see in the trailers with Lady Gaga joining the cast as Harley Quinn. Is this movie worth your time, or should you just watch the original again? Find out with this episode. “Joker: Folie a Deux” also stars Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey, Leigh Gill, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland and Bill Smitrovich.
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Are you sick of watching feel-good, heart-warming movies? I think I’ve got the cure with “The Substance.” Demi Moore plays an aging actress, not so unlike herself, named Elisabeth Sparkle who’s Oscar-winning movie career has plummeted. It’s plummeted so much, she’s the host of a Jane Fonda-type workout show. Now, because of her age, she’s even in danger of being fired from that. Also, she doesn’t get the looks from the men anymore that she used to. She’s just feeling extremely depressed about her own mortality and her perceived lack of worth. Enter in The Substance. She’s made aware of The Substance and how it can create a younger, more beautiful, “better” version of yourself. The rule is, the younger version of yourself gets seven days out in the world and then you get seven days. This must be respected. The balance must be respected or else. You are both the same person, not two separate people. As long as you follow the rules, the unspeakable won’t happen. Elisabeth’s younger self, named Sue, is “born” and quickly gets the adoration and career success that Elisabeth once had and it’s addictive. Can she, and Elisabeth follow the seemingly simple seven day rule? As you might’ve guessed, they probably don’t and this movie may, or may not, present the most disturbing and horrifying visuals you’ve ever seen. Is that part of a whole that makes this movie a must-see, or does it just make it a movie you should stay as far away as possible from? Watch this episode to find out! “The Substance” also stars Dennis Quaid in a hilariously, over-the-top performance as a misogynistic Hollywood studio head, maybe not coincidentally named Harvey.
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You are not supposed to say the name “Beetlejuice” three times, otherwise he will appear. Someone must’ve said gone and said it because he’s back in theaters 36 years after we last saw him in 1988 in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Michael Keaton reprises yet another one of the characters that made him the star that he is along with Winona Ryder, as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara, as Delia Deetz, from the original. Also, Tim Burton returns to direct this sequel to the movie that pretty much got him the “Batman” job. Burton does again feature the afterlife oddities and general weirdness but amplifies it for today’s audience. It all starts with Lydia seeing Beetlejuice visions and needing to reunite with her daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega. Events soon lead them to the house from the first movie and all that lie within, including the title character, who hasn’t forgotten Lydia. However, there’s a ghostly figure, named Delores played by Monica Bellucci, who hasn’t forgotten about Beetlejuice. She’s on the hunt for her man and woe to any that get in her way. Tim Burton also brings in some new characters like Rory, played by Justin Theroux and Wolf Jackson played by Willem Dafoe. Will it haunt you forever if you don’t go see this at the theater? Check out this episode to find out that very thing. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” also stars Arthur Conti, Nick Kellington, Santiago Cabrera, Burn Gorman, Danny DeVito, Sami Slimane and Amy Nuttall.
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When people make a list of iconic American presidents, the subject of this week’s movie is on most of them. Dennis Quaid plays our 40th American president, Ronald Reagan, in the long-coming movie “Reagan.” This movie doesn’t just tell the tale of the presidential years of Reagan. It spans his life from when he was a young boy up until his death. We see his humble beginnings in Iowa to him realizing he needs to stand up to bullies, including the Soviet Union. Even as far back as when he was simply known as an actor, he saw the Soviet Union attempting, and succeeding, to infiltrate many institutions in America, including Hollywood. He knew they were trying to turn America into another Soviet Union and he fought it. Later we see him meet the love of his life Nancy and it’s made apparent that she stands behind him in everything he does. Of course, the movie features the Reagan most people over a certain age know. The California governor and our president. Does this movie do this American icon justice? Check out this episode to find out. “Reagan” also stars Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, C. Thomas Howell, Amanda Righetti, Jon Voight, Justin Chatwin, Kevin Dillon, Kevin Sorbo, Xander Berkeley, Lesley-Anne Down and Robert Davi.
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In the original movie “The Crow” in 1994, there’s a prominent refrain of “It can’t rain all the time.” of course meaning sometimes it rains and sometimes there’s sun. Is this new retelling of “The Crow” in 2024 going to bring us rain or sun? Is it going to disappoint or will it entertain? You’ll have to watch this episode to find out. The new “The Crow” stars Bill Skarsgard (It, Barbarian, John Wick 4) as Eric Draven and FKA twigs as his true love, Shelly. The movie is kicked off by a friend of Shelly’s letting her know that there is something she has that incriminates the big, bad guy in this, played by Danny Huston. As you’d expect, the bad guys know about this and kick off the chase element of this movie. Shelly, in the meantime, is sent to a massive drug rehab center/prison where she meets, and strikes up a relationship with Eric. In one way this turns out to be a bad turn of fate for Eric because he and Shelly are murdered because she knows about that incriminating evidence. Eric, however, isn’t sent to the afterlife, he is offered a chance to go back to the land of the living and put right what was made wrong. In other words, find the scumbags that killed him and Shelly and exact terrible revenge on them. This way he and Shelly can find peace. Also, he has a crow to play criminal Google Maps for him to help Eric find the right baddies. This “The Crow” remake also stars Josette Simon, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, Karel Dobry, Jordan Bolger, Sebastian Orozco, David Bowles, Trigga, Samba Goldin, Isabella Wei, Jordan Haj and Dukagjin Podrimaj.
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In 1979, director Ridley Scott got caught up in the “Star Wars” hype and knew he needed to direct a space movie. That movie ended up being “Alien.” Now 45 years later, the Alien franchise is still alive and kicking with the new movie, “Alien: Romulus.” In this latest installment, we start out on a space mining planet with our main character, Rain, played by Cailee Spaeny. She’s trying to find a way off this hazardous planet, to a better planet, with her “brother” Andy who is really a synthetic her Dad programmed to protect her. She then is presented with a plan to get them off the planet by her friend Tyler, which is to fly up to another ship floating above the planet and use that to escape. All of them get up there, along with some others in the group, only to realize it’s not a ship. It’s a seemingly deserted massive scientific space station. They move forward with their plan to find some cryo-pods to use for them to cryo-sleep they’re way to the new planet but you know what they say about best laid plans. Little do they know that this space station isn’t deserted, it’s a graveyard. The reason it is, is still on board and this group unintentionally unleash it and its a nightmare from there. Soon Rain and the group are being chased down by alien face huggers looking to implant their alien seed. On top of that they have another synthetic trying to secure some corporate research from the space station and if humans have to die for it, so be it. The group aren’t allowed off the space station until this mission is complete, all the while, having to try not to get killed or impregnated by killer aliens before the space station crashes. Is it good enough to blast off out of your house to go see? Check out this episode to find out. “Alien: Romulus” also stars David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu, Rosie Ede, Soma Simon, Bence Okeke, Viktor Orizu, Robert Bobroczkyi, Trevor Newlin, Annemarie Griggs, Ian Holm and Daniel Betts.
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Some people go to the mountains for vacation, for a little rest and relaxation, not for a sinister and terrifying experience, like the one you see in “Cuckoo.” This movie from German director, Tilman Singer, is about a teenager, Gretchen, who ends up moving with her Dad, her stepmom and much younger half-sister to a mountain resort in the German Alps. There, they are greeted by Herr Konig, who runs the resort and for who Gretchen’s Dad and stepmom will help build a new resort. Gretchen gets serious “stranger, danger” vibes immediately from Herr Konig, played by Dan Stevens, with his creepy voice and suspicious ways of touching her. Gretchen, played by Hunter Schafer, is a fish out of water here and she also soon sees some undoubtedly strange things around the resort. She’s already the stereotypical angst-filled teenager, but soon she also finds herself chased by horrifying entities, and trying to help a cop figure out who’s responsible for several murders at the resort. All while, trying not to get killed and survive one more minute with her stepmom and half-sister, whom she despises. It’s a mountain of trouble in the German Alps and Gretchen just isn’t having a great week. Is it worth your 90 minutes to see why? Check out this episode to find out. “Cuckoo” also stars Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick, Mila Lieu, Greta Fernandez, Proschat Madani, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Konrad Singer, Kalin Morrow and Johannes Benecke.
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It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Josh Hartnett star in a prominent movie, but after his prominent role in “Oppenheimer”, he’s back and starring in “Trap.” This is the latest movie from M. Night Shyamalan, the famous director of “The Sixth Sense”, “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” In “Trap”, Hartnett plays Cooper, a Dad who’s taking his daughter to a big concert for a mega-popular singer named Lady Raven. Once he gets into the concert, he notices a massive police and FBI presence. Cooper later finds out that the concert has been set as an elaborate trap to catch a serial killer called “The Butcher.” Now he’s really stressed, and if you watch the trailers or the movie, you’ll know why. Also, there’s a FBI profiler there to describe all the moves The Butcher will make to try to get out of the trap and what law enforcement should then do. All the while, Cooper has to be a good Dad and enjoy the concert with his daughter, who is excited to be there for Lady Raven. As the movie goes on, the trap gets tighter and tighter as law enforcement rules out more and more suspects and closes in. Will The Butcher be caught? How many will die in the process? Is it worth even seeing this movie to find out? Check out this episode to see if it is worth seeing. “Trap” also stars Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Alison Pill, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Langdon, Mark Bacolcol, Marnie McPhail, Kid Cudi, Russ, Marcia Bennett, Vanessa Smythe, M. Night Shyamalan, Lochlan Miller, Steve Boyle, David D’Lancy Wilson, James Gomez and Nadine Hyatt.
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The hero that loves to eat chimichangas while executing a perfect superhero landing is again knocking at your door! The merc with the mouth himself, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, is back and he’s bringing a “friend.” You thought he was dead at the end of “Logan” but the Disney Marvel money was just too sweet and so Hugh Jackman as Wolverine comes back to join our indestructible hero in “Deadpool and Wolverine.” No such resurrection for Marvel will come from this movie alone but the prospect of getting these two all-time fav characters together is exciting. In this third Deadpool movie, our beloved Wham fan has gone limp in life and he’s looking for a way to matter again. He’s still got the love of all his friends but he there’s someone in his life that he wants back and he’s willing to do anything. Deadpool soon receives an offer to give him almost exactly what he wants but at a terrible price. Enter Wolverine into the movie when Deadpool learns he’s an important part of everything going on in this movie. They don’t exactly start out creating their own secret handshake and riding a tandem bicycle. Wolverine, who can count being super anti-social as one one of his superpowers, doesn’t want to split a PB&J sandwich with Deadpool, much less help him in his quest. Will Deadpool be able to win Wolverine over? How many Madonna songs will be in the soundtrack? Does Jonathan Majors make a cameo? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to maybe find out. “Deadpool and Wolverine” also stars Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfayden, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic and Randal Reeder.
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In 1996, a summer blockbuster movie blew into theaters and knocked everybody off their feet. That movie was “Twister” and starred Helen Hunt and the late, great Bill Paxton. Now 28 years later, we get a long awaited follow-up to that tornado-terrific, earth-moving box office hit, called “Twisters.” Now instead of Bill Paxton, the rapidly rising star Glen Powell tries to fill his boots. He plays Tyler, who calls himself a tornado wrangler who likes to go viral and peddle his merch. One of his phrases, as he tries to entertain his fans, is “You don’t face your fears. You ride em’!” We also have Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate, who was a storm chaser until tragedy struck, and so now she stays out of the field. Just so the plot can move forward, she’s coaxed back out into the wild, windy west to help some other storm chasers potentially save lives from a mass of tornadoes. All these characters bring their impressive and intricate modern day technology to this world of tornadoes, but no amount of tech will save you from the deadly, disastrously massive force of a tornado and the debris that it turns into lethal projectiles. Will Tyler take it too far in finding that rush? Can Kate do anything to give the people in the path of these fatal forces of nature a chance? Is it worth finding out? Check out this episode to find out! “Twisters” also stars Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O’Brian, David Born, Paul Scheer, Laura Poe, Austin Bullock and Stephen Oyoung.
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There have been some bizarre movie trilogies but the Ti West-directed “Pearl Trilogy” tries to take the bizarre trilogy crown. “Maxxxine” is the final movie in this bloody, murderous trilogy where all the movies feature two dynamic, driven, crazy ass women who will do anything for fame. One is Pearl and the other is Maxxxine. Mia Goth plays both parts in a provocatively intriguing way. We first saw Maxxxine in the first movie in this trilogy, “X.” Now in this third movie she’s in 80’s Hollywood trying to find that elusive fame that so many crave. She’ll do anything to get it, including some things you just couldn’t imagine. On top of that, there’s a serial killer running around Hollywood doing things you just couldn’t imagine. Maxxxine suddenly has something maybe chasing her while she chases fame. The body parts pile up even if the primo acting parts aren’t piling up for Maxxxine. Also Kevin Bacon co-stars as a private detective who threatens Maxxxine with her bloody past. Will she survive this and get the fame she’s looking for? Is it worth surviving traffic to get to the theater to find out? Check out this episode to find out! “Maxxxine” also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Giancarlo Esposito, Michelle Monaghan, Halsey, Charley Rowan McCain, Simon Prast, Deborah Geffner, Daniel Lench, Chloe Farnworth, Brad Swanick, Uli Latukefu, Susan Pingleton, Moses Sumney, Zachary Mooren, Ned Vaughn, Marcus LaVoi and Sophie Thatcher.
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Motorcycle clubs get some attention this week on Movies Merica with the new Jeff Nichols movie “The Bikeriders.” You may know Jeff Nichols from his previous movies “Mud” and “Midnight Special.” This movie stars Tom Hardy as Johnny, the founder of the Vandals bike riding club and Austin Butler as Benny, another member. Butler is like a younger “rebel without a cause” member to Hardy’s older, settled but still rough founder. Enter Jodie Comer as Austin Butler’s wife Kathy, who is scared of the club, yet intrigued and awed by it. As you might expect, this bike riding club doesn’t just stay a bunch of guys and their old ladies riding around, having a great time. These are roughnecks who just don’t care, so that gets them in trouble with people who hate bike riders, the law and other clubs. The heat gets turned up on the club and life gets bloody real fast and this causes tension between Johnny, Kathy and Benny. The club also has to deal with increasing danger as the club expands to other cities and they find they now have some scarier members that don’t take orders from anybody, not even Johnny. The fuse has been lit, when will it explode? “The Bikeriders” also stars Michael Shannon, Damon Herriman, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace, Happy Anderson, Paul Sparks and Will Oldham.
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We go rough and tumble this week on Movies Merica with a retro review of the gritty cop drama End Of Watch. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena star as LAPD cops, Brian and Mike, who patrol one of the worst, if not the worst, crime-ridden parts of L.A. This film shows the seedy world they have to protect and serve the citizens of, all while not getting killed by any number of criminal scum. Gyllenhaal’s character, Brian, takes up filming his, and Mike’s, exploits in this world with his personal camera so we get a unique take on the cop drama. Also with this distinctive perspective, it shows the brotherly bond between Brian and Mike as they bust each others chops when they’re not busting perpetrators. Alongside the rough edges and brutal violence of their job, End Of Watch also presents Brian and Mike’s personal lives and who they’re trying to protect and stay alive for. End Of Watch doesn’t hold back on the darkness of the job while at the same time infusing the movie with humor to help you make it through. Is this movie worth your time? Check out Movies Merica to find out! End Of Watch also stars Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera, Frank Grillo, David Harbour, Cle Sloan, Jaime FitzSimons, Cody Horn, Shondrella Avery, Everton Lawrence, Richard Cabral and Diamonique.
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In 1995, Michael Bay made Bad Boys and introduced us to the characters of Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, played respectively by Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Now 29 years later, they’re back in the fourth Bad Boys movie, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. Again it brings you some more intense action than you’d expect in a comedy but also of course the slap you in the face laughs you’d expect. Since it’s all these years after the first movie, Marcus and Mike have much more complicated off-duty lives. However, that doesn’t stop them from having to deal with some serious baddies. This time the baddies are trying to frame their dearly departed Captain Howard, played by Joe Pantoliano, and Marcus and Mike aren’t having it. Plus, Captain Howard is trying to help them find the baddies involved from beyond the grave sort of speak. You get the gun fights, the car chases, the mid-air death-defying action sequences, the hard-edged comedy and some returning characters. Does it all add up to some riveting bad boy action or is the movie just plain bad? Check out this episode to find out that very thing. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, DJ Khaled, John Salley, Bianca Bethune, Dennis Greene and Quinn Hemphill.
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It’s a retro review this week for Movies Merica with the political thriller “The Contender” that flew under the radar when it was released in 2000. It’s the story of a political figure that is going to shake things up in Washington D.C. in a way many D.C. power players don’t want. As a result, those power players launch an all-out legal and media assault on them to drive them out of D.C. Sound familiar? Joan Allen plays Laine Hanson who is picked as a replacement for the Vice President to Jeff Bridges’ President Jackson Evans. This pick causes a stir and Congressman Shelly Runyon, played by a slimy Gary Oldman, comes out guns blazing against Laine. President Evans and his Chief Of Staff, played by Sam Elliott, have to deflect the bullets coming at her especially a big one of an erotic nature from back in her college days. Will Laine withstand the massive smear campaign or will she crumble under the weight of the swamp? Is it worth finding out? Check out my review to find out. “The Contender” also stars Christian Slater, Kathryn Morris, William Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, Mariel Hemingway and Kristen Shaw.
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It’s been 9 years that we’ve been waiting for director George Miller to make another Mad Max movie. We’ll have to keep waiting because he still hasn’t made a Mad Max movie with the new movie, Furiosa. In the 2015 smash hit Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa was really a co-lead character with Mad Max ironically enough given Mad Max is literally in the movie title. As a result, the assumption by some is that the world was begging for a Furiosa origins movie and now they get it. Furiosa stars Anya Taylor Joy as a younger version of the titular character, formerly played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. In Furiosa, we’re introduced to Furiosa as a little girl living in a “green place” in the middle of the post-apocalyptic desert Wasteland of Australia. However, she sees some bad guys invading the “green place” and they take her captive. That results in her Mom giving chase to save her daughter and that sets off a chaotic chain of events that includes meeting Chris Hemsworth’s Dementus character. He’s the leader of a massive gang of Wasteland motorcycle riders and he wants to know where the green place is. This movie does include some of the same type of action scenes that Fury Road had, along with showing us more in-depth, some Wasteland fortresses we didn’t see as much in that previous movie. Does this movie miss actually having Mad Max in it? Is it worth seeing at the theater? Check out this episode to find out! Furiosa also stars Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lachy Hulme, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Charlee Fraser and Elsa Pataky
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John Krasinski is most famously known for playing Jim Halpert on “The Office.” However, he’s also a movie director. His last two movies, “A Quiet Place” and “A Quiet Place Part II”, were ones that would give kids nightmares. In his latest movie, “If”, he tries to take them, and their parents, to a happy place instead. “If” is the story of Bea, a 12 year old girl that has gone through a tragedy and is staring a potential one head on. Her Dad is going through surgery for a heart problem. However, she starts seeing mysterious figures, and Ryan Reynolds. It turns out these mysterious figures are the former imaginary friends of different children. They’re trying to inspire their former kids to remember them as their imaginary friends. Along the way, Bea decides to help them do that. Many kids have imaginary friends. Maybe you did too. If they were here they might steer you towards “If” or tell you it’s the worst movie ever. Which one is it? I give you at least my opinion about “If” in this episode. “If” stars Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, John Krasinski, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Liza Colon-Zayas, Bobby Moynihan, Catharine Daddario and Aubrey Hoffman.
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We’ve been getting Planet of the Apes movies for decades now and the latest installment is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This installment jumps many generations into the future after the events of the last Apes movie, 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. We meet the main character of this installment, Noa, and his friends and family. They’re part of a peaceful ape clan who raise eagles as part of their tradition. On the eve of Noa’s bonding ceremony with his eagle, murderous invaders lay siege to his clan, and those they don’t kill, they take prisoner. Noa barely survives and recovers only to find all of them gone. He begins a journey to find his clan and rescue them but finds he is being followed by a rare human. He also happens upon an orangutan named Raka and together, with the human, they form a trio for this rescue journey. They’re pursued the entire way by the murderous invaders. Will they be able to rescue the clan on time? Is it worth going to the theater to find out? Check out this review episode to find out. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, William H. Macy, Peter Macon, Lydia Peckham, Dichen Lachman, Sara Wiseman, Karin Konoval and Eka Darville.
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Movie stars are made to look heroic, awesome, tough and gritty in their movies and who makes them look that way? Stunt men and women. The Fall Guy is a love letter to the stunt community within the movie business directed by former stuntman David Leitch. It’s of course also a take on the hit 1980s Lee Majors TV show of the same name. This time it’s Ryan Gosling playing Colt Seaver as a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a detective of sorts. Colt is the stuntman for the biggest movie star in the world up until something drastic happens. When that happens he vanishes, including ghosting his flame, a movie writer named Jody played by Emily Blunt. However, he’s called back into action when his old job suddenly becomes available again. Does he want to jump off buildings, barrel roll cars, get set on fire and do all the things stunt people do again? When he finds out his former flame Jody is directing the movie the stuntman opening is for, well that changes the game. You get explosions, car chases, gun fights, an action movie lovers dream and work that keeps plenty of stunt people employed. Is it worth checking out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out. The Fall Guy also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Matuse, Adam Dunn, Zara Michales, Angela Nica Sullen and Megan O’Connell.
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I go back to 1994 for this week’s review. Specifically the epic, action-packed Arnold Schwarzenegger spy thriller True Lies. This was James Cameron teaming up again with his Terminator for this big budget, eye-popping spectacle. Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker who has his wife and daughter convinced that he’s just a dull to the bone computer salesman. In reality he’s a spy for the covert Omega Sector hunting down and stopping threats. Things get dicey when he hears something that makes him think his wife is having an affair and he investigates. Some terrorists really end up spoiling his investigation, just to launch a nuclear attack plot on the United States. Schwarzenegger is joined by Jamie Lee Curtis as his wife, Eliza Dushku as his daughter, Tom Arnold as his partner and the late, great Bill Paxton as “super spy” Simon. If, amazingly you haven’t seen this, is it worth checking out? Watch my retro review of True Lies to find out. True Lies co-stars Tia Carrere, Art Malik, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston.
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The British pride themselves on being gentlemanly. That goes all out the window in the movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare when they know they’re dealing with Nazis during World War II. British officers, along with none other than Winston Churchill himself, send a team of bad boys to deal a critical blow to the German submarine fleet. This team is led by Henry Cavill, who’s character they had to let out of military prison to lead this team. He’s joined by Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Henry Golding and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. The boys find themselves heading towards Africa where the boats that supply the German submarine fleet is headquartered. These ungentlemanly bad boys are tasked with wreaking havoc on this submarine supply system. They also get help from Eiza Gonzalez as a half-Jewish actress who is very motivated to hurt Nazis and Babs Olusanmokun who is a casino owner near these headquarters, who doubles as a British spy. The action gets good and brutal, you might say, downright ungentlemanly. Is it worth a gentleman and gentlelady taking the trip to the theater to check this out? Check out this episode to find out. This also stars Cary Elwes, Rory Kinnear, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox, James Wilby, Henrique Zaga, Danny Sapani, Matthew Hawksley, Simon Paisley Day, Mark Oosterveen and Victor Oshin.
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Up until this movie, everyone has had to picture only in their mind what the next civil war in America would look like. Now the new movie from director Alex Garland, “Civil War”, provides the visual representation of what such a war would look like. As you’d expect, it’s horrifying and brutal and the protagonists in this movie are there to take pictures of much of it. Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny play war photographers along with Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson working alongside them. They all embark on a road trip from New York City to Washington D.C. to try to get an interview with the President of the United States before the forces fighting him take him out. Along the way, they see the horrors of this civil war and come close to death themselves. This isn’t war fighting in some other country. This is a bloody war in these modern times in America. Is it worth your time and strength to experience this movie? Check out this episode to find out. “Civil War” also stars Nick Offerman, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Vince Pisani, Justin James Boykin, Jess Matney, Greg Hill, Edmund Donovan, Tim James, Simeon Freeman, James Yaegashi, Dean Grimes and Alexa Mansour.
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If one of the things on your bucket list is to see a movie that is part John Wick, part RRR and part Slumdog Millionaire, prepare to be happy. I give you Monkey Man directed by Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel. He also stars in this as the main character named Kid who is a street fighter that gets paid to be the heel in fights. The guy that gets beat up and loses every night. He wears a monkey mask hence the name of the movie. However there is more than meets the eye with this guy. He’s not just going through life aimlessly getting beat up nightly. He’s trying to get to someone however he can. What does he want with them? What is he going to do to them? We are shown whoever it is, they’re part of a corrupt, violent, evil criminal empire and Kid is going to have to watch his every move or it could be his last. The movie is stylish, yet gritty and grimy. You get brutal fighting, high speed chases and beautiful women. Does it all add up to a movie that you should check out at the theater? Watch this episode to find out that very thing. Monkey Man also stars Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Adithi Kalkunte, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makrand Deshpande, Jatin Malik and Zakir Hussain.
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In the world of Godzilla x Kong The New Empire, you have good monsters and bad monsters, but even with the good ones, a lot of humans get taken out. That’s what you’ll see in the latest monster movie from Adam Wingard who directed Godzilla vs Kong a few years ago. In this latest movie, Kong is at home in Hollow Earth which is a world deep within Earth that was discovered in the last movie. Godzilla’s domain is up on the surface of Earth and everyone is praying the two never meet again. Otherwise your property insurance rates are going to go way up! A distress signal is heard coming from Hollow Earth and Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle and Brian Tyree Henry from the last movie go to check it out along with newcomers Dan Stevens and Alex Ferns. Kong also discovers a new race of Kongs who aren’t too enthusiastic to get to know him. Also, Godzilla detects a new threat in Hollow Earth and goes on a mission to kill what Kaiju he needs to in order to defeat the threat. The CGI involved in all that is in massive supply but is it worth journeying to the theater to see it? Check out my takes about Godzilla x Kong The New Empire in this episode to find out. Godzilla x Kong The New Empire also stars Fala Chen, Rachel House, Ron Smyck, Chantelle Jamieson and Greg Hatton.
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Apparently the Ghostbusters aren’t afraid of no ghosts or sequels. Forty years after the original Ghostbusters comes Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. We get the Ghostbusters that started it all minus the late, great Harold Ramis. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. Annie Potts is back as well. Then we also see the new characters introduced in 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife played by the likes of Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard. In this sequel, all of them are back where it all started, New York City. This time a newly re-discovered ancient orb is the prison of an old evil that is desperately trying to get out. I think you can guess if it gets out or not. Can the Ghostbusters band together to defeat this entity that kills people by literally freezing people with fear? Also, they have to contend with an old nemesis from the original Ghostbusters that is still trying to take them down. Is it worth jumping in the car and driving to the theater to check this out? Watch this episode to find out! Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also stars Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, Logan Kim, Emily Alyn Lind, James Acaster, William Atherton, Shelley Williams, Chris Tummings and John Rothman.
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Who doesn’t dig a movie with a lovable dog? Arthur the King has a lovable dog and has Mark Wahlberg bringing you some exciting multi-terrain adventure racing. This movie starts with Wahlberg’s seemingly washed up adventure racer character, Michael Light, wanting one last chance to finally win an adventure racing championship in the Dominican Republic. This is racing that takes place in tough terrain with running, cycling and kayaking for long distances over multiple days. He, and the other three members of this team, get sponsorship and get in the race, but also gain a furry fifth team member, a stray dog Michael names Arthur the King. Arthur inspires the team through his endurance through the rough terrain and also gains fans all around the world as he sticks with the team throughout the race. What’s the final outcome for Arthur and the team? Is it worth finding out at a theater? Check out this episode to find out. Arthur the King also stars Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, Juliet Rylance, Ali Suliman, Bear Grylls, Paul Guilfoyle, Rob Collins, Alani Ilongwe and Cece Valentina.
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In “The Abyss”, after a U.S. nuclear submarine is lost at sea, the U.S. Navy enlists the help of a crew of an underwater oil drilling platform to help find it. A team of Navy SEALs, led by Michael Biehn as Lieutenant Coffey, is sent down to the crew to lead the rescue operation. Unbeknownst to the crew, led by Ed Harris as Bud Brigman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lindsey, the SEALs have another possible mission. A mission that is deadly for all. On top of that, during the rescue operation, deep sea otherworldly beings start appearing and ratcheting up the already high tension even more. Are these otherworldly beings friend or foe? Then to elevate the tension even more, Lieutenant Coffey starts acting psychotic due to pressure sickness from being deep undersea. Not the development you want, especially with a guy in possession of nuclear warheads. Where is this flashpoint going to end up? Is it worth watching to find out? Watch this retro review episode to find out. “The Abyss” is the movie James Cameron made between “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and I’ll talk all about it in this episode. “The Abyss” also stars Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Kimberly Scott, Captain Kidd Brewer Jr., George Robert Klek, Christopher Murphy, Adam Nelson, Dick Warlock, Jimmie Ray Weeks, J. Kenneth Campbell, Ken Jenkins, Chris Elliott and Peter Ratray.
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The Dune books by Frank Herbert are widely said to be impossible to make into movies or shows. However, a few have tried and the latest is director Denis Villeneuve with, first, his Dune Part One film in 2021 and now Dune Part Two. Overwhelmingly, the consensus is that Villeneuve succeeded beautifully with his first Dune film in introducing movie audiences to the world of Dune. Now we get his Part Two which continues the story of Paul Atreides, who is royalty, but also could be the most powerful being in the entire universe someday. What will he do with this power? Will he engage in good to help out the people of the universe or will his power end up killing billions of people? Dune is also about Paul’s alliance with the people of the planet Arrakis, known as the Fremen. We also see his battle against his enemies, the Harkonnens and the Emperor. Is Dune Part Two entertaining as it tells this complex, twisted tale? Check out this show to find out. Dune Part Two stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard and Charlotte Rampling.
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The gunfights are plentiful, the explosions are numerous, the hand-to-hand combat is abundant and the tension is sky high in the new movie Land of Bad starring Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia, Ricky Whittle and Luke Hemsworth. In Land of Bad, special forces operators are sent on a mission in the Philippines to rescue a CIA asset in the hands of terrorists. Unfortunately for Sgt. JJ Kinney (Liam Hemsworth), he’s been picked for the mission to coordinate all military aircraft in the area to support the mission. Before long, things go south and Kinney finds himself in the title of the movie, a land of bad. Russell Crowe plays an Air Force drone pilot that has to help Kinney make his way through this hell and occasionally pummel some terrorists with drone missiles along the way. Will Kinney make it out alive with his eyes in the sky and bringer of doom helping him? Is it worth finding out at the theater? Check out the show to find out. Land of Bad also stars Chika Ikogwe, Daniel MacPherson, Robert Rabiah, Jack Finsterer, Lincoln Lewis and Gunner Wright.
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Bob Marley is known as the most famous Jamaican but he’s also considered the paragon of reggae music. Bob Marley One Love is the new movie that gives us a closer look into what drove him and the turbulence he experienced. Marley grew up in poverty, the son of a black mother and a white father, but his undeniable musical ability helped him rise above that. This movie features those sweet musical offerings peppered throughout. Kingsley Ben-Adir plays the legendary Marley and Lashana Lynch plays his wife Rita who braves the danger of Jamaica with him. Marley’s musical career origins are also explored, along with providing some cinematic representation to what his songwriting process was like. Does Bob Marley One Love give us a look into Marley’s life in an entertaining way? Check out this episode to find out. Bob Marley One Love also stars James Norton, Tosin Cole, Umi Myers, Anthony Welsh, Nia Ashi, Aston Barrett Jr., Anna-Share Blake, Gawaine “J-Summa” Campbell, Naomi Cowan, Alexx A-Game, Michael Gandolfini.
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When someone makes a list of the best 90s movies, this week’s movie is usually on the list. I bring you my review of classic, The Crow. The Crow was Brandon Lee’s final film. He sadly was accidentally killed on the set of The Crow. He was famously precluded in death by his father Bruce Lee, who also died far too early in life. We still got a masterful performance by Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, who comes back from the dead to avenge his, and his fiancée’s, murder. He goes up against some slimy baddies led by the murderous and twisted Michael Wincott as Top Dollar. He gets help from a cop played by Ernie Hudson and his friend Sarah played by Rochelle Davis. The action, the drama, the tension is all accompanied by a edgy, hard-hitting lineup of tracks that enhance it all. Join me to do a deep dive on this dark classic. The Crow also stars David Patrick Kelly, Jon Polito, Bai Ling, Tony Todd, Sofia Shinas, Anna Thomson, Angel David, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Bill Raymond, Marco Rodriguez and Kim Sykes.
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In Argylle, spy movies get turned on their heads quite a bit. The main character is reclusive, shy author Elly Conway who writes best-selling novels about a spy named Argylle. She gets writers block while writing the latest book but some real-life spy action she suddenly finds herself might inspire some creativity. This starts when she is rescued by a spy played by Sam Rockwell and Elly is thrust into a real world of espionage with her beloved cat, Alfie, tagging along. She soon finds out she’s being pursued by a rogue spy agency with murder on their mind. Is this movie worth checking out to see who all this unfolds? Check out this show to find out. Argylle is directed by Matthew Vaughn, written by Jason Fuchs and stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Ariana DuBose, Richard E. Grant, Tomas Paredes, Alaa Habib and Jing Lusi.
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It’s a dark, brutal time in Japan because of the evildoing of a psychotic, murderous lord, and half brother to the Shogun. He threatens the peace and safety of the Japanese people with his sadistic ways. It’s decided that the few samurai still left in Japan must come together for a suicide mission to take him down. First these samurai have to be convinced, by explaining what evil this lord has committed against his people. Then the preparation and execution comes next. 13 Assassins, directed by Takashi Miike, is the bloody, unrelenting telling of this story and it absolutely doesn’t hold back. This stars Kōji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Sōsuke Takaoka. This is the third collaboration in which Yamada and Takaoka starred. 13 Assassins also features Hiroki Matsukata, Kazuki Namioka and Gorō Inagaki.
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The Earth, from space, looks beautiful unless it’s on fire from nuclear annihilation. That’s what the American and Russian astronauts in the new movie I.S.S., for International Space Station, see up there and it leads to some international tension with deadly results. Suddenly the U.S. and Russia are in a nuclear war and each countries astronauts have received orders to take the I.S.S. over by any means necessary. Can anyone trust each other, even if you’re on the same side? It’s an intriguing premise for a movie, especially in space, but is it worth you launching towards the theater to see it? Check out this episode to find out. I.S.S. is directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and stars Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbaek
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If Jason Statham isn’t kicking somebody’s butt, he must be sleeping or in the shower. Statham has carved out a nice niche in the action genre for decades now. The Beekeeper is his latest, and honey, is there a lot of buzz about it as it’s coming out! Statham plays Adam Clay who befriends an elderly lady who lets him keep bees on her property. She is then becomes a victim of cybercrime and loses all her money and takes her own life from the anguish. Statham isn’t having any of that and someone cyberpunks have to pay. Let’s just say he’s got a particular set of skills and some baddies are about to pay the bills. Directed by David Ayer who also directed End Of Watch, Fury, Suicide Squad and Street Kings and wrote Training Day. Is the buzz around this enough to get you to leave your hive to check it out? Check out this spoiler-free review live show to find out! This also stars Phylicia Rashad, Josh Hutcherson, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, David Witts, Michael Epp, Taylor James, Jemma Redgrave, Don Gilet, Enzo Cilenti, Minnie Driver and Jeremy Irons.
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In professional wrestling, the Von Erich family was legendary. The patriarch of the family, Fritz, was a wrestler with his signature move “The Iron Claw.” He handed that down to his sons who took the wrestling world in Texas by storm. Everything was going so well until tragedy struck the Von Erich family. Unfortunately, fate would have it that one tragedy wouldn’t be near enough. “The Iron Claw” tells this family’s tale and doesn’t flinch as it does. Is it worth jumping in the ring to check out? Watch my review to find out! It’s directed by Sean Durkin and stars Zac Efron, Lily James, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Grady Wilson, Michael Harney, Stanley Simons, Kevin Anton and Chavo Guerrero Jr.
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The Wonka candy empire had to start somewhere and someone decided to make a prequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to tell the origin tale. That someone is director Paul King, who also directed the Paddington movies. Timothee Chalamet, from the Dune movies, stars as the young Willy Wonka who arrives at an unnamed town to open up a chocolate shop. He soon finds out that it isn’t going to be that easy thanks to the Chocolate Cartel. They don’t want any competition and they spring the Chief of Police on the young, naive Wonka. Lows and highs, twists and turns proceed in this movie also starring Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa, Keegan Michael-Key as the Chief of Police and Oscar winner Olivia Colman as Mrs. Scrubbit. Not sure whether this movie will be a tasty treat or a big bowl of rotten lettuce? Check out this spoiler-free review to clear up that mystery. Wonka also stars Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Jim Carter and Rakhee Thakrar.
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This guy is big, scaly, has razor sharp teeth, atomic breath and is almost 70 years old. His name? Godzilla and his new movie Godzilla Minus One is creating some major buzz. The word of mouth is rampaging across the world. Made by the original Godzilla movie studio Toho in Japan, Godzilla Minus One starts towards the end of World War II with a kamikaze pilot who’s ashamed he couldn’t perform his duty. To make things worse, he has a near-death encounter with Godzilla and is one of just a couple survivors of the attack. Yet, to make matters even worse than that, he returns to Tokyo to find his parents have been killed and his country is destroyed. If he, and Japan think they’re getting any rest, think again because the Godzilla attacks begin and he’s not coming to help humankind. Is Godzilla Minus One worth all the buzz it’s getting? Check out my spoiler-free review here to find out. Godzilla Minus One stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Munetaka Aoki, Yuki Yamada, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Michael Arias, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida.
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After seeing this movie, when you sing Silent Night, you might start thinking of automatic weapons and gang members. Silent Night is directed by John Woo and stars Joel Kinnaman as a Dad who’s young son has been killed by gang members. He’s understandably wrought with grief and filled with rage. He decides that he’s going after the gang that took his son and turned his life into a living hell. Not sounding at all like what the song Silent Night is about? Exactly. The silent part comes from when he’s shot in the throat by a gang member and permanently loses his voice. That doesn’t stop him from training to be Rambo and looking for some payback. Does this movie have very much to do with Christmas? Watch my spoiler-free review to find out and to see if it’s worth firing up the sleigh for this movie. Silent Night also stars Catalina Sandino Moreno, Kid Cudi, Harold Torres, Vinny O’Brien, Yoko Hamamura, Anthony Giulietti and John Pollack.
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Halloween and Christmas get the horror movie treatment, but Thanksgiving has largely been ignored. Not anymore. Someone pulled the right wishbone and director Eli Roth has brought us the new slasher flick “Thanksgiving.” Set in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the pilgrims actually landed, Roth gives us a story of a vengeful serial killer unleashing terror on the town. This killer’s disguise is in the form of a mask of John Carver, one of the pilgrims that sailed over on the Mayflower. This killer has got some carving to do and he isn’t talking about turkey. Is it worth sitting at this Thanksgiving table? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out! “Thanksgiving” stars Patrick Dempsey, Gina Gershon, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Ty Olsson, Lynne Griffin, Karen Cliche, Derek McGrath, Katherine Trowell, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Mika Amonsen, Amanda Barker, Shailyn Griffin, Tim Dillon, Chris Sandiford, Tomaso Sanelli, Xavier Sabeta, Milo Manheim, James Goldman, Nicholas Reynoldson, Yusuf Zine.
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In this episode, I’m going Commando. The 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic bullets and bodies action extravaganza, that is! I’m going retro this week since there’s nothing good enough at the theaters to review for my beloved movie maniacs and fellow freedom-fueled film fanatics. Commando is about ex-Special Forces soldier John Matrix trying to save his daughter after she’s kidnapped to force him to assassinate a president. Matrix escapes the baddies tasked with escorting him to the country to kill the president, and the action blows up from there. He’s joined by Rae Dawn Chong, as Cindy, who involuntarily at first, becomes his valuable ally. Will he get his daughter, played by Alyssa Milano, back in time? Of course he will! Commando also stars the late great Bill Paxton in a small role, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, David Patrick Kelly, James Olson, Bill Duke, Drew Snyder, Sharon Wyatt, Michael DeLano and Bob Minor.
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In Martin Scorsese’s first movie since “The Irishman”, he brings us a true story of deception, treachery and murder all over money from oil discovered by the Osage Indians in “Killers Of The Flower Moon.” Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Lily Gladstone star. DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, a WWI soldier who seeks to make a home in Oklahoma. DeNiro plays his uncle Bill “King” Hale who is known as a community leader and friend to the Osage. Gladstone plays Mollie, who is a part of a wealthy Osage family, who Bill convinces Ernest to woo and marry for her family’s oil money. Bill is in no mood to just wait for this Osage family to die. He’d like to accelerate the process, and does. Is it worth checking out? Watch my spoiler-free review to find out. This also stars Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Meyers, Janae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Scott Shepherd, Everett Waller, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Red Corn, Tatanka Means.
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Greetings my movie maniacs and my fellow freedom-fueled film fanatics! I bring you another Movies Merica episode in my Horror House series and this time I’m spoiler-free reviewing Doctor Sleep, the sequel to the horror classic The Shining. The little boy Danny Torrance from The Shining is all grown up and can still shine, but it makes him a target of the ghosts from The Outlook Hotel. He’s learned to live with it but he discovers a young girl, Abra, who can also shine is a target of a new evil. A group of psychic vampires that feed on the shine of children then kill them. Danny must step up to protect Abra and take care of unfinished business. Ewan McGregor stars as Danny, now Dan Torrance, Kyliegh Curran as Abra and Rebecca Ferguson plays the sinister Rose The Hat. Doctor Sleep also stars Cliff Curtis, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Selena Anduze, Carel Struycken, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Longstreet, Katie Parker, Jamie Flanagan, Met Clark, Zackary Momoh, Jocelin Donahue, Dakota Hickman, Carl Lumbly and Henry Thomas.
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In 1973 a movie force of horror was introduced to the world in the form of The Exorcist. Fifty years later, Hollywood tries again with a direct follow-up to that movie, referred to by many as the scariest movie ever made. This new movie is called The Exorcist Believer and it may be scary or just scary that this is the best they could come up with, even with fifty years to work with. This time the plot revolves around two young girls who go missing for three days but when found, have obviously brought something evil back with them. Soon enough, the girls are plunged into the horrors of being possessed by a demon. Time to call an exorcist! Is it worth checking out this new offering of movie devilry or stay the Hell away? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out. This stars Ellen Burstyn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jennifer Nettles, Ann Dowd, Raphael Sbarge, Norbert Leo Butz, Olivia O’Neill, Lidya Jewett, Chloe Traicos, E.J. Bonilla, Antoni Corone.
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AI, or artificial intelligence, is a top of mind subject nowadays. The Creator tells the story of a war between humans and AI in the future. Also, it’s about how one man, Joshua, who’s sent to spy on and destroy AI finds himself conflicted. Why? Because the ultimate AI weapon is a 6 year old little girl AI robot. After discovering that he just can’t bring himself to kill her, they go on a journey with the military and AI forces all hunting them down. This is directed by Gareth Edwards who also directed the 2014 Godzilla movie and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Check out my spoiler-free review to see if it’s worth watching at the theater. The Creator stars John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Amar Chadha-Patel, Marc Menchaca, Robbie Tann, Ralph Ineson, Michael Esper, Veronica Ngo, Ian Verdun, Daniel Ray Rodriguez.
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Did you ever wish Cocoon was more of an action movie? Well, get ready to be happy, because I give you Expendables 4 where they mix age with rage and have to be in traction with too much action! Sylvester Stallone returns as Barney Ross as does Jason Statham as Lee Christmas. It’s been 9 years since the last Expendables movie. Did we need another one? You be the judge, but I give you my thoughts in this spoiler-free review. This time Megan Fox, 50 Cent, Levy Tran, Iko Uwais, Tony Jaa, Jacob Scipio and Andy Garcia join the party. The Expendables are sent after a big bad with evil nuclear intentions. It’s time for them to kick some ass! This also stars Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Lucy Newman-Williams, Daren Nop, Kenny ‘Cowboy’ Bartram, Cody Mackie, Cokey Falkow, Dan Chupong and Karim Saidi.
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In this episode, per fan request, I retro review the 1995 movie Murder in the First starring Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman. This movie is loosely based on the life of Henri Young, played by Bacon, who tried to escape Alcatraz and was thrown in the hole for over 3 years. He then ends up killing the inmate that ratted out their escape attempt and is put on trial. Slater plays Young’s defense attorney who is unluckily assigned the case by the public defender. Oldman plays the sadistic assistant warden of Alcatraz who enjoys torturing Young. The movie goes over the trial and the subsequent verdict. If you haven’t seen the movie, check out this review to see if it’s worth changing that reality. If you’ve seen it, watch to find out what someone else thinks of it. Murder in the First also stars Embeth Davidtz, William H. Macy, R. Lee Ermey, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brad Dourif, Mia Kirshner, Ben Slack, Stefan Gierasch, Kyra Sedgwick.
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In this episode a retro review was in order and that retro review goes to Brad Pitt’s World War Z. In this 2013 zombie apocalypse summer hit movie, Pitt plays Gerry Lane a ex-U.N. investigator who suddenly finds himself re-employed zombie attacks start. He has to protect his wife and daughters, not to mention saving the world by finding a cure. This sends him all over the globe to gather clues while trying not to get turned by the millions of super-fast, super-strong zombies. This was directed by Marc Forster who also directed Finding Neverland, Monster’s Ball and Quantum Of Solace. Check out this spoiler-free review to catch what’s spreading about World War Z. This also stars Mirielle Enos, James Badge Dale, Fana Mokoena, Daniella Kertesz, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, David Morse, Elyes Gabel, Peter Capaldi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Ruth Negga, David Andrews.
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No Denzel isn’t Malcolm X or a dirty cop or a Civil War soldier in The Equalizer 3. He again plays Robert McCall, a ex-government contracted killer who just wants to help even the score, or equalize, against bad people in the name of good people. In this finale in the Equalizer trilogy, McCall is in Sicily trying to equalize a situation and it gets bloody. Afterwards, he ends up in a small Sicilian town where he learns to care about the people and finds a home. However, some evil Italian mobsters terrorize the town and they’re interrupting McCall’s peace and tranquility. That’s the last mistake they’ll ever make. Is this movie worth the drive to the theater? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out. The Equalizer 3 also stars Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Daniel Perrone, Sonia Ben Ammar and Zakaria Hamza.
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Are you bummed that there isn’t a Top Gun: Maverick this year? I just might have some good news for you. You may find that Gran Turismo meets your Top Gun: Maverick needs. Just like Maverick, we have a driven guy that has an immense talent in this movie named Jann Mardenborough. He’s excellent at the auto racing simulator Gran Turismo but wants to be a real race car driver. A GT Academy is created to give gamer drivers like him a chance to auto race for real. No reset buttons. Just your life ending if you screw up just a little bit, just like in a fighter jet. Jann has to beat other gamer drivers and real professional drivers with years of real-life experience. Also, he doesn’t want to prove his doubters correct by failing. Can he hang without getting himself killed? Is this high-octane, kinetic, frenetic racing action drama worth you racing to the theater? Check out my spoiler-free review here to find out. Gran Turismo is directed by Neill Blomkamp and stars Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Djimon Hounsou, Geri Horner, Takehiro Hira, Darren Barnet, Josha Stradowski, Daniel Puig, Maeve Courtier-Lily, Pepe Barroso, Niall McShea, Nikhil Parmar, Thomas Kretschmann.
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Before the new era of DC movies can begin, the last remaining movies of the old era have to be put out and this one, Blue Beetle, is the second to last old era movie. The last will be Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. In Blue Beetle, Xolo Mariduena plays Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle who unwillingly becomes the titular superhero after messing with an object from another world. Caught in the crossfire between Blue Beetle and the evil Kord Industries is his family and he must protect them and himself. Susan Sarandon plays the malevolent Victoria Kord, head of Kord Industries, who seriously wants the Blue Beetle power. We’re in for a showdown! Is this showdown worth driving to the theater? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out! This also co-stars George Lopez, Damian Alcazar, Elpidia Carillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Adriana Barraza, Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillen, Jorge Jimenez, Gabriella Ortiz, Felipe Esparza.
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Ever been on a bad ocean cruise? I guarantee it wasn’t as bad as the voyage in The Last Voyage of The Demeter. You may have heard of the Demeter briefly in other Dracula movies but this movie gives you the full story. The Demeter is the ship that transported Dracula from Romania to England according to Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel. In that novel, there is a small section containing the captain’s log from the Demeter, telling a story of an evil killing his crew. This movie takes that small section and turns into a 2 hour movie. Corey Hawkins, from Straight Outta Compton and The Walking Dead, plays Dr. Clemens who joins the crew under Captain Eliot, played by Liam Cunningham from Game Of Thrones. Further and further into the voyage, more and more creatures are found dead with bite marks and soon the crew start becoming victims of Dracula. The doctor have to try to fight off the evil might of Dracula with the help of a girl from a Transylvanian village Dracula was keeping as a food source. Is this movie worth saving from the sleep of the undead or should you just put a stake in it’s heart? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out. This also stars David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Walley, Stefan Kapicic, Jon Jon Briones, Woody Norman, Javier Botet, Martin Furulund, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Graham Turner, Andy Murray, Nicolo Pasetti.
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The best thing a horror movie can do is make you think about it long after the end credits roll. A24 Studios specializes at releasing these kind of horror movies. Is Talk To Me one of those? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out. Directors Danny and Michael Phillipou present their very first feature-length movie and it was good enough to get into Sundance and get bought by A24. It tells the story of Mia whose mother died relatively recently. To find some comfort for the grief, she agrees to take part in a ritual where you’re possessed by the dead. The ritual centers around a ceramic hand that contains an embalmed hand. You light a candle to open the doorway then you grab the hand and say “Talk to me” you see the dead. If you keep going and say “I let you in” you will be possessed by the dead. You’ll have to check out my review to hear more. It stars outstanding up and coming actress Sophie Wilde, veteran actress Miranda Otto from the Lord Of The Rings movies and newcomers Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson.
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Movie theaters are going pink with the release of Barbie from director Greta Gerwig. Gerwig puts her different spin on this iconic doll beloved by girls all around the world for decades. Margot Robbie stars as the stereotypical Barbie with Ryan Gosling as Ken. Barbie is living the perfect life in Barbie Land with the other Barbies and all the Kens. Suddenly she starts having thoughts that perfectly happy Barbie shouldn’t be having and suddenly develops cellulite and flat feet! She finds out she needs to go to the real world to fix all this and that’s where Barbie’s adventure begins. This also stars America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, Ariana Greenblatt, John Cena, Ana Cruz Kayne, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Kingsley Ben-Adir. Should you leave your Barbie dreamhouse to check this out at theaters? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Christopher Nolan brings us, for his latest film, “Oppenheimer”, the true story of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer and takes on an infamous, iconic figure in all the history of the world. The film goes over his adult life leading up to his leadership on the civilian side of the Manhattan Project, the testing of the atomic bomb, the bombings of Japan and the government attacks he faced afterwards. He co-stars with Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Gary Oldman, Jack Quaid, Tony Goldwyn, Jason Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Olivia Thirlby, Casey Affleck, Dane DeHaan, James Remar and many others. Nolan typically makes movies that stick with you long after the end credits roll. Is this film any different? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to groan as loud as you can for me making that reference. I bring you the latest installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise with Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. We’ve had to go five years without seeing Ethan Hunt, and the rest of the IMF team, head out on another adventure. In this one, old enemies and old “friends” come back to face Ethan as a worldwide threat rises up. This threat is like no enemy that the IMF, or you, have ever seen. Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct this Mission movie, his third. In this installment, we get desert gun fights, intense submarine action, car chases, an epic jump off a cliff with a motorcycle by Cruise himself, a standoff on a train and a train crash. A little bit of everything from the action smorgasbord. Is it good enough to make sense for you to get up off your couch to check it out? Watch, or listen, to this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Jim Caviezel stars in this based on a true story movie with an important message, Sound Of Freedom. It helps bring awareness to the evil that is human trafficking, particularly child trafficking. Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent, who first started out arresting child traffickers. Then he shifted his focus to also saving the victims of child trafficking, first with Homeland Security, then in the private sector. This movie tells that story, including one mission to save a little girl at the request of her little brother. This is a gut-wrenching movie that you, and anyone you know, should see. Check out my spoiler-free review to get more information about this movie. Also, if you go to Angel.com/Freedom, you can either get free tickets to this movie or pay it forward and buy tickets for someone else.
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It was 1981 when we first got to see Indiana Jones in action and he’s still slinging that whip to this day. Harrison Ford jumps back into one of the roles that made him a movie star known around the world. This time he’s pulled into a search for the Dial Of Destiny, that can enable time travel, by an old friend’s daughter. He was about to retire but suddenly he’s globe-trotting again like the old days fighting Nazis. This is the first Indiana Jones movie to use de-aging technology so you’ll see an attempt to recreate the younger Indy we knew from the 80s. This is also the first Indiana Jones movie not to be directed by Steven Spielberg. Does it make a difference? Check out this review to see for yourself.
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Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake is a black ops specialist/rescue operator. To put it simple, he’s a man of action. In Extraction 2, he’s requested to rescue a mother and her two children from a Russian gangster. To make it even harder, he has to break into a prison to free them. To say it gets harder from there would be a massive understatement. He’s also haunted by a family tragedy that he’s forced to come to terms with when his ex-wife comes back into his life. This is the sequel to the 2020 Netflix action-packed surprise hit and Hemsworth’s character barely made it out alive of that movie. This movie is directed by ex-stuntman Sam Hargrave so he injects a ton of intense fighting, gunplay, explosions and general mayhem into this. It’s also based on a graphic novel written by the Russo Brothers who directed Marvel Captain America and Avengers movies. Does it all add up to a good movie? Check out this spoiler-free Extraction 2 review to find out!
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It’s been almost 10 years since this movie was announced and finally ‘The Flash’ is here. It’s the latest DCEU entry and one of the last in the soon-to-be irrelevant DCEU. ‘The Flash’ stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash and in this move you get two Barry Allens. That’s thanks to the multiverse aspect of this movie. Barry feels compelled to try to save his mother by going back in time to stop her murder. However, this “all heart and no brains” idea predictably goes sideways. As a result, he meets his younger self and Michael Keaton’s Batman and Supergirl. He’s going to need all of them to make it through this, or does he? Andy Muschietti, director of the ‘It’ movies, helms this solo Flash movie. Co-starring Ben Affleck, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdu. Check out this review to get the in-depth knowledge about this latest superhero flick.
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Amazingly enough it’s been more than 10 minutes since we’ve had a Transformers movie. Since 2018 to be exact. Now we get another one. It sure is a Transformers movie. Michael Bay has handed the directing reigns to Steven Caple Jr. and he brings us a new flava of this genre. You get all new content in this movie like Transformers crashing into things, Transformers with explosions, Transformers transforming. Humans interacting with Transformers. You absolutely won’t fall asleep in this movie! No Shia LeBeouf or Mark Wahlberg. We get household name Anthony Ramos as our main character in this movie where Transformers transform. Check out this review for some in-depth info all about this latest Transformers go-around!
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Do you feel a Spidey tingle? If so, that’s because I’m talking all about Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse here and you’re invited. This is the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Miles Morales is continuing his journey as just one of many web-crawlers. This movie introduces a bunch of new characters as part of a Spiderman organization and Miles wants in. However, it won’t be so easy and their leader, Spider-Man 2099, is no Miles Morales fan. Thankfully Miles has his friend Gwen Stacy and his Mom & Dad in his corner. There’s chases, explosions, web-slinging and web-swinging and more. Also, there’s a star-studded cast voicing the characters. Do yourself a solid and check out this episode!
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You may not know comedian Bert Kreischer but you don’t have to in order to watch this action comedy based on a true story involving the Russian mob. In this no gut, no glory movie, Kreischer plays himself, a comedian whose calling card is taking off his shirt and showing his gut during his shows. However, his past with the Russian mob comes back to bite him when they kidnap him to Russia and threaten his daughter. He has to help them find an object he stole when he was younger or else. That’s when the nutso action and comedy begin. Is it worth putting down the Russian dressing for and heading to the theater? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Having a bad day? Just think about the post-apocalyptic world in this episode’s movie, Mad Max Fury Road, and you’ll instantly feel better. We’re going throwback in this episode with this 2015 gritty, intense, eye-popping action chase thriller starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult. Mad Max gets captured but then through necessity ends up helping Imperator Furiosa keep some innocent women out of the clutches of the evil warlord Immortan Joe. This makes the movie pretty much one big fantastical, fiery, explosive, crazy, action-packed chase. Should you gas up your ride and join this chase? If you haven’t already seen this movie, check out my spoiler-free review to find out!
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Here we are at the last ride of the Guardians Of The Galaxy as we’ve known them since 2014. Should they have even got back on the spaceship? Find out in my spoiler-free review here! Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan and some new stars join in this swan song. The Guardians find themselves in an urgent race to save one of the team. Of course, there’s some serious galactic roadblocks in their way. Mainly a new big bad named The High Evolutionary, who does some very cruel things and is a big part of Rocket’s past. This is James Gunn’s last Marvel movie before we see what he does as the chief over at DC. It’s been a helluva Guardians ride!
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Ridley Scott, the director of Gladiator, brought a grittier, edgier version of everyone’s favorite Sherwood Forest hero, Robin Hood to the screen in 2010. Unfortunately, the version the studio wanted released to the theaters didn’t create very many merry men and it tanked at the box office. Have no fear though. There is a unrated directors cut available and that one just might make you merry. Want to find out for sure? Check out my spoiler-free review of the unrated directors cut version of Robin Hood starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and William Hurt. You get some intense Ridley Scott-style action, intrigue and romance. The cast is extremely impressive too. My review also includes in-depth Robin Hood info you won’t get anywhere else all in one review!
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Jake Gyllenhaal plays Sergeant John Kinley, who needs a new interpreter to help him fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Enter Ahmed, a brave, intelligent Afghani who dances to his own tune but to the benefit of John’s squad. John finds himself wounded, deep in Taliban territory. Ahmed has to rescue him by caring for him and dragging him many miles back to his base. John and Ahmed are rescued, but where John gets to go back to America, Ahmed is stuck in Afghanistan with a high price on his head. John is hooked by a covenant in his heart to go back and rescue Ahmed. Will it work, and is worth watching this movie to find out? Check out my spoiler-free review to see.
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The end is near for an inmate on death row. Dr. James Martin just has to determine if he’s sane and can be executed or insane and escape execution. One catch though. This inmate, Edward, says he’s a demon named Nefarious and he’s on Earth to accomplish a mission for his master. On top of that, he says James is going to murder three people before the day is done. This will be no easy evaluation and the doctor may not even make it out of this alive. In fact, he just may be in for a face to face with Satan himself. Check out this spoiler-free review to hear more!
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Mamma Mia! We have a new Super Mario Bros movie for the first time in 23 years! Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong and Bowser are all here in the Mushroom Kingdom for generations of Super Mario fans. This is no doubt the start of a new universe of Nintendo movies. Mario and Luigi are unexpectedly transported from Brooklyn into the Mushroom Kingdom but they get separated. It’s up to Mario to find his brother before Bowser does his worst to Luigi. Along the way, we encounter the Kongs, get some power-ups, have a Mario Kart battle and all kinds of other Super Mario adventures. Kids will love it. Will parents too? Check out my spoiler-free review to find out!
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In the mood for swords, magic, fearsome creatures, wizards and medieval goblets of ale? Then Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves may be the movie for you. Chris Pine brings his wit and charisma from his Star Trek movies to the world of D&D. Michelle Rodriguez is fast and furious in this but with axes and swords this time. This movie saves those who don't want to invest 27 years playing the famous D&D board game all that time. Does all that make it worth hitching the horses to the wagon and heading to Ye Olde Theater for this? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out.
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Everybody's dog-loving assassin is back! John Wick does the James Bond globe-trotting thing too but with a body count that a million Bond films couldn't surpass. He's still trying to make the High Table his BFF again so they stop trying to make him KIA. Along the way, he of course gets by with a little help from his friends, Winston and The Bowery King and some new friends. There's also a few new foes he has to fight off, The Marquis, Killa and Caine. Is it worth going to this movie to boogie with the Boogeyman? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Wham, bam, thank you Shazam! It's been a few years since the wizard gave Billy/Shazam and his childhood friends superpowers. They've tried to help out the city of Philadelphia with those superpowers. Keyword: tried. They just might be finding out that having superpowers isn't the lottery win they thought it would be. On top of that, you have some angry gods that want to have a word. The DCEU brings us Shazam: Fury Of The Gods, with a bigger budget and an Oscar winner in it. Does that add up to a good movie? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out.
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New York City in real life doesn't have enough murder for you? Well then check out my Scream VI spoiler-free review to hear about more NYC murder! This is the second Scream movie in the reboot of the franchise that was started in 1996. Last year with Scream V, we met Melissa Barrera as the new Final Girl Sam Carpenter, who took the torch from Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott character. Now Sam, her sister Tara and others have to fight off Ghostface in NYC. Should you rush out in a New York minute to see it? Listen in to find out!
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Michael B. Jordan returns as Adonis Creed in Creed III but this time he's also quarterbacking this thing since he's also directing this movie. He's joined by Jonathan Majors as his childhood friend who comes back into Adonis' life with bad intentions. Creed is happily retired from boxing and enjoying life with his wife and daughter, but it doesn't stay that way, since we wouldn't have a movie if it did. Is this movie worth getting up off the couch to check out? Listen to this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Ever wonder what it would be like if a movie combined Scarface and Baloo the bear from The Jungle Book? Of course you have! Who hasn't? Get ready to be happy! I bring you Cocaine Bear! This movie tells the story of a bear that finds, and consumes, some cocaine accidentally lost by some drug smugglers. The ensuing mayhem is deadly for anyone that gets in Pablo Escobear's path. The late, great Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson and others star in this movie inspired by a true story. Listen in on my spoiler-free review to see if you should grab a kilo of this movie.
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We have reached the 31st movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it features Ant-Man and Wasp. Scott Lang is an official Avenger now and he is enjoying the benefits. He's a best-selling author, people love him and he even gets free coffee! All is not so happy for long when Scott, and his family, are trapped in the Quantum realm. Is what happens next worth you watching? Check out my spoiler-free review to find out!
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"Ladies! Put your hands together and turn your gaze to the main stage here at Movies Merica! It's Van Ebert with a Magic Mike's Last Dance spoiler-free review!" Steven Soderbergh brings us this last movie in the Magic Mike Universe with Channing Tatum back as Magic Mike joined by Salma Hayek. Mike is down on his luck but then is saved by wealthy Salma Hayek who then presents him with an opportunity he didn't see coming in London. Should you bring your bachelorette party to this movie? Check out this review to find out.
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Knock knock. With these intruders, you're going to wish they were Girl Scouts selling cookies instead. M. Night Shyamalan brings us his latest twisted tale this tale surrounding the potential end of the world. Dave Bautista, and others, intrude in on a family's vacation at a cabin in the woods. They reveal to the family that they have to make a terrible choice to save the world. Intrigued? Check out my spoiler-free review here to hear if it's actually worth watching.
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A Pixar kiddie movie this ain't! Infinity Pool is a hardcore, extreme movie you won't soon forget. Does that make it good? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out. Alexander Skarsgard plays a failed writer who goes to a resort in a fictitious country to get some inspiration to battle through some writer's block. He meets some people at the resort that leads to a tragic accident that has him facing the death penalty. However, if you can afford it, you can have a clone of yourself created to be executed instead. Curious yet? Listen to hear more!
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We go back a few years for this Movies Merica episode. In 2014, Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. took a break from the Iron Man world to cook up a more down to Earth, comedic, character-driven, feel-good movie. Do they use all the right ingredients and whip up something tasty? Check out this spoiler-free review to hear if they did. Favreau brings along fellow MCU actors Scarlett Johansson and Bobby Cannavale to this tale of a chef stuck in a creative rut who needs to get his life in order, including connecting with his young son. Oh, and there's a food truck!
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Da plane! Da plane! Move over Con Air. This is Plane with Gerard Butler who doesn't have a mullet in this action thriller. Butler plays airline pilot Captain Brodie Torrance whose flight is forced to transport a murderous prisoner. The flight hits bad weather and crash lands on an island with dangerous criminals. Brodie has to transform into kick-ass mode to save his passengers. Will this action keep you entertained? Listen to my spoiler-free review to find out!
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M3gan is a heartwarming, inspirational tale of love and devotion and....JUST KIDDING! M3gan is just a straight up movie about a killer doll! Move over Chucky! M3gan is an advanced android that is much more than just plastic and D batteries. James Wan, of The Conjuring and Saw fame, produces this toy-filled horror film. He tends to have a good track record when it comes to horror. Does that continue with M3gan? Check out my spoiler-free review here to find out!
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Mystic mountains, colorful rainbows, majestic waterfalls. No, these aren't the contents of a box of Lucky Charms. These are part of the visionary landscape of the battle epic "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion." From director S.S. Rajamouli, who also directed "RRR", comes the sequel to "Baahubali: The Beginning." These films revolve around Baahubali, a legendary royal warrior who is much loved by the people of the land of Mahishmati. He finds himself in battles between would-be-conquerors and even with his own family which leads to epic battle scenes. Listen in to find out if it's worth checking out!
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Live elephants, sex, drugs, alcohol. Do I have your attention? That's how the movie Babylon is trying to get your attention. Is it worth your attention? Check out my spoiler-free review of it here. Babylon stars Margot Robbie as a movie star wannabe, Brad Bitt as an actual movie star and Diego Calva as someone that wants to be around movie stars. The scene is the old Hollywood of the 1920s and 1930s, where actors are just now becoming massive beloved celebrities and they raise hell like it too. Nothing can possibly go wrong, right?
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It's been 13 years since James Cameron took the movie world by storm with "Avatar" in 2009. Like it or not, it was a worldwide phenomenon. I could probably count on one hand the number of people that didn't mention "Avatar" to me back then. Now, James Cameron felt filmmaking technology had caught up to the point where he could make sequels. That brings us to "Avatar: The Way Of Water" and the return to Pandora. Jake Sully and Netiri return from the original but now have a family to protect and of course the humans show up to create some chaos. Is it worth checking out? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out.
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The Korean War is called "The Forgotten War" for good reason. It gets practically disregarded behind WWI, WWII and Vietnam. However, "Devotion" brings it into focus and even more importantly, it focuses on naval aviator Jesse Brown. He was one of the first black pilots in the military and had to endure real racism. In spite of that, he served with valor and distinction, alongside his wingman Tom Hudner. Jonathan Majors plays Jesse Brown and Glen Powell from "Top Gun: Maverick" plays Tom Hudner. Does this movie earn its wings and your attention though? Check out my spoiler-free review here to find out!
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Violent Night, bloody night. All is wrong. All is fright. It's the most wonderful fight of the year in Violent Night. David Harbour as Santa Claus trades in coal for grenades, and MacGyvers candy canes into deadly weapons, in this crueltide tale of Christmas carnage. Santa finds himself having to try to save a family from a gun-toting Mr. Scrooge and his evil murderous grinches. Will Jolly Saint Nick be able to save Christmas for this family, or will there be a bloodbath under the mistletoe? Check out this spoiler-free review to hear more.
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We don't get Daniel Craig as James Bond anymore, but you can see him as his Knives Out movies character Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion. He's joined in this murder mystery comedy by Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Jessica Henwick, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Leslie Odom Jr. and others. It also has plenty of celebrity cameos. Edward Norton invites his friends to his billionaire mansion called the Glass Onion for what is supposed to be a fun murder mystery weekend. Can you imagine maybe something going wrong? Is it worth investigating yourself? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out.
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Greetings. It's our pleasure to serve you this Movies Merica episode. We have a very fine menu for your pleasure. Our first course is comprised of some mystery, menace, satire and wit. Our second course is what we call Ralph Fiennes as the chef that isn't exactly as he seems. Our final course is evil delights at the expense of some unfortunate diners at the fine dining restaurant that is the locale for this movie, The Menu. No spoilers here, so feel free to indulge in this episode to see if this movie is worth ordering off....the menu.
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Creed and Creed II director Ryan Coogler brings us his sequel to his 2018 movie Black Panther with Black Panther Wakanda Forever. This movie is 161 minutes long so he brings the quantity, but does he bring the quality? Tragically Black Panther himself, Chadwick Boseman, passed away far too soon so the Black Panther movie world has to figure out what direction to go from here. Check out my spoiler-free review here to find out if it's worth checking out.
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You've seen, and smelled him, in the WWE. You've watched him in The Rundown, Walking Tall, the Fast & Furious and Jumanji movies but now Dwayne Johnson takes his turn as a superhero, or rather, an anti-hero. Black Adam is an all-powerful being from the Shazam wing of the DCEU and he's just been unleashed on the world. You smell what he's cooking, and it's usually bad guys, in this action spectacle that also features the Justice Society Of America. I just give my spoiler-filled takes on this latest offering from the DCEU. Check it out!
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In this last episode of the Movies Merica Haunted House series, we take you into the world of The Conjuring. This movie is on the same level as The Exorcist in that it also involves a family fighting for survival against the forces of Hell. They go through an ordeal of blood, demon possession, evil and murder. The main characters, Ed and Lorraine Warren are two servants of God that try to help this family survive this darkness. Check out this episode to hear much more!
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It's the 1 Year Anniversary of Movies Merica podcast AND the latest episode in the Movies Merica Haunted House series! Raise your glasses in a toast and also check out this review....revisiting of the classic vampire horror/comedy Fright Night. Crash in your bean bag chair with some Pop Rocks in your parachute pants and British Knights and listen to me go over all the fun that is this awesome show of menacing vampire horror, unforgettable characters, eye-popping (literally) practical visual effects and 80's power music!
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We continue our Movies Merica Haunted House series with a new school, instead of old school, fright fest movie review this week, This week we review Halloween Ends, the latest offering in the Halloween franchise. This is the finale of the David Gordon Green Halloween trilogy. Jamie Lee Curtis plays her Laurie Strode character for the 317th time, going up against the seemingly immortal Michael Myers. You of course get blood, guts and tears for fears. Should you go see this? Check out this review to find out!
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The Power of Christ compels you...to listen to this revisiting of this 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist!" Since its Halloween month, Movies Merica will be reviewing some fantastic horror movies this month. Considered by many as the scariest movie of all time, people were actually fainting or going into hysterics in theaters when watching this. Paramedics had to be stationed at some theaters. Linda Blair actually received death threats from religious zealots for "celebrating Satan" with this movie. To hear more possibly unknown facts like these and to get the thoughts of a rabid fan of this movie, check out this episode.
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If you like documentaries that just provide an accounting of events and then lets you decide what to think, Superspreader is right up your alley. In this, it tells what happened when Sean Feucht, his wife and other people of the church wanted to provide opportunities to worship outside in cities across America in defiance of pandemic laws banning church worship. As you'd expect, they run into just a wee bit of turbulence, hostility and violence. Is this worth checking out? Listen to this episode to see if I think so.
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In this episode we head east for our cinematic treat. Do you like action, adventure, daring rescues, death-defying stunts and all for love? You just might dig yourself some Baahubali: The Beginning from the master director S.S. Rajamouli. You might know him from directing the international phenomenon R.R.R. that billions outside of India have even heard of. This movie is epic and barely slows down at all throughout its length. Check out my review to see if you should check out this Indian cinematic offering.
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Our "One Trilogy To Rule Them All" series comes to an end with the multiple Oscar-winning "The Return Of The King." Winner of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, among others, this movie is the crown jewel of this Lord Of The Rings trilogy that is entrenched in the zeitgeist. The battles, the evil attacks, the creatures, the locations and the emotional moments are all amped up more than the first two movies and don't let go. Listen to this episode where I gush and profess my enthusiasm for everything in this movie from beginning to end. I even have my own Lord Of The Rings-style battle speech at the beginning!
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Our "One Trilogy To Rule Them All" series continues with the second installment in Peter Jackson's epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Two Towers. Released during the Christmas season of 2002, the awe movie audiences felt from The Fellowship Of The Ring was lifted to an even higher level with The Two Towers. This was nominated for multiple Oscars and has been beloved for almost 20 years for its spectacle, emotional gravity, sweeping scenery and of course, Gollum! My precious, take a little time to listen to this episode and take this Middle Earth trip down memory lane.
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You shall not pass...listening to this 50th episode of Movies Merica! To commemorate this event, a revisiting of the one trilogy to rule them all, is in order! In 2001, Peter Jackson took the world by storm with his first installment of this trilogy. It was a movie everyone talked about and deservedly so. A real live-action adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics hadn't been attempted, and especially not one with the big budget this trilogy had. Listen in to hear some of my fond remembrances of this movie and takes on the characters and story we all love. Next week, a revisiting of The Two Towers will make its presence known!
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Lords and ladies, boy and girls. Gather round for a story in the form of a movie called 3000 Years Of Longing. Then again you may not want to. Check out Van's spoiler-free review of the latest movie from Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller in order to decide. This movie stars Tilda Swinton as the finder of a mysterious bottle and Idris Elba as the genie, or Djinn, trapped in it but then released. Tilda gets the usual offer of 3 wishes but is it really that simple? Is there a dark side?
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The lion does not sleep tonight in this movie. This lion must have insomnia and must also be rather angry because it rampages throughout this movie. Idris Elba stars as a Dad that takes his teenage daughters on a trip to Africa to bond as a family. Nothing bonds family together like a fight for survival so the bonding is strong here. Should you check out this movie in the theater or just wait until you wake up on your couch at 3 in the morning and it happens to be playing on HBO? Check out this spoiler-free review to find out!
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Iconic. Legendary. Ground-breaking. Epic. Profound. Earth-shattering. Phenomenal. This movie took over the whole world in 1982 and it's the 40th anniversary of the high impact event, not just movie, but event that was E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. For this anniversary, it was essential to me that I put my thoughts out there about this movie that won me over, broke my heart. and then made me stand up and cheer. My journey of loving movies for decades started with a little alien giving a boy what he needed most: a best friend.
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Pew Pew Pew! Brad Pitt stars in Bullet Train, an original, frenetic, kinetic action-comedy movie from the director of Deadpool 2. Aptly titled, this flick mostly takes place on a Japanese bullet train where bad boys and girls are all after a valuable briefcase. Needless to say, they do not play nice together on this bloody choo-choo. Co-starring Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Hiroyuki Sanada and Brian Tyree Henry. Should you jump on board? Check out Van's spoiler-free review to find out!
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SPOILERS! Movies Merica is going back in time to 2017. Hugh Jackman hangs up the sideburns in his last Wolverine movie directed by Ford v Ferrari and Walk The Line director James Mangold. This isn't your kindly, old grandma's X-Men movie. This is one is gritty, serious, brutal and intense and is not for the kiddies Patrick Stewart is also back as Professor X as they try to survive in a world that has left the X-Men behind.
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Yep this is Nope, a new movie from Jordan Peele from Key & Peele and Get Out. This stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun and Michael Wincott. Peele brings the mystery, thrills and otherworldly mayhem in this. Does he do it well? Is it an after school special disguised as a movie? You should listen to Van's spoiler-free review to find out.
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Ben Affleck ditches the cape and cowl for this George Clooney-directed coming-of-age movie with Affleck playing the uncle we'd all want as a kid. He's uncle to our main protagonist, J.R., who doesn't really have a Dad so he has to get his education on finding his identity and how to be a good man from his uncle and his buddies at the bar. How to treat women, what drinks to never order, what books to read are just a few lessons he's taught. If you want to hear Van's lesson as to whether you should watch this, check out his spoiler-free review!
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By the power of Greyskull....er, sorry. Wrong franchise. Marvel Studios delivers their 29th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this one featuring Thor the God Of Thunder. Chris Hemsworth again plays Thor and sinks into the role like a pair of comfortable bedroom slippers. Natalie Portman, way past playing the child protege of a hitman in The Professional and Padme in the Star Wars prequels, is returning to the franchise. Check out Van's spoiler-free review of this latest MCU effort.
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Elvis has entered the building! Baz Luhrmann, from Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby fame, has directed this latest Elvis biopic starring Austin Butler as The King and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. If you know any of Luhrmann's prior work, you know this isn't going to be some drab, dull telling of the life of Elvis Presley. Is it worth you putting down the peanut butter and banana sandwich and going to see it? Listen to my spoiler-free review to find out!
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When are people going to learn? When you see a creepy van with no windows you run as fast as you can the other way! That's part of the creepy, suspenseful plot of Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone starring Ethan Hawke. Derrickson directed the first Dr. Strange movie but has also mostly directed horror films like Sinister and The Exorcism Of Emily Rose and he sort of returns to that with this movie. Hawke plays a psychotic child abductor in the late 1970s in this but listen to this spoiler-free review to hear more about the plot and whether you should see it or run as fast as you can the other way.
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Tom Cruise is no Maverick in this one but he gets battle-tested real quick. No new movies this week worth reviewing (just an after school special starring Buzz Lightyear), so in light of the phenomenon that is Top Gun: Maverick, we're going to a past Tom Cruise movie. The 2014 sci-fi action-adventure mind scrambler that is Edge Of Tomorrow. Here he gets top billing with Emily Blunt who commands the screen as a mighty soldier against man-killing aliens bent on world domination. Picture a mashup of Starship Troopers and Groundhog Day and you'll get a little picture of this Doug Liman-directed film. Listen to my spoiler-free review to learn more!
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Dinosaurs roam the Earth again! Get the details here in Van's spoiler-free review of Jurassic World Dominion. This is the third, and final, movie in the Jurassic World franchise and it joins the classic Jurassic Park trio with the newer characters of Jurassic World. Velociraptors, T-Rex's, bears OH MY!
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Rise! Roar! Revolt! Reach out and listen to this episode! Van goes international and exotic in this episode with the absolutely buzz worthy movie from India, RRR. He reviews this action thriller/rom-com/bromance/Marvel movie/political drama/musical and lets you know if you should get ready for your eyes to pop out of your head or for your eyelids to get heavy. Either way you'll get the spoiler-free take on this movie of epic length and scope.
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I feel the need, the need for you to read....on. Finally, after 36 long years of waiting we get a Top Gun sequel. Is it worth the wait we've been put through? Listen to Van's spoiler-free review to find out. You can then decide whether to put on your flight suit and jet over to your local theater. You get F-18s, Tom Cruise, cocky pilots, jet fights, and of course Jennifer Connelly. Enticed to listen yet? Like Maverick says, don't think, just do!
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If you want to experience, what I would imagine is as close to a cinematic version of an acid trip, then Everything Everywhere All At Once might be your drug of choice. This movie directed by Daniels gives you a story involving the multiverse that has nothing to do with Marvel or Dr. Strange. Film legends Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong bring this adventure/comedy/drama/Kung Fu movie to life. We even get to say welcome back to Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom in this. Check out my spoiler-free review!
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You'll find this episode to be fire-roasted and maybe tasty too. In the movie "Firestarter" we have a little girl who can set anything on fire that she wants. You'll have to excuse her parents if they're a little hesitant to send her to her room with no supper. This is a remake of the 1984 Drew Barrymore movie which is based on a Stephen King book. Check out this spoiler-free review to see if you should be fired up to go see this.
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Stranger danger! Dr. Strange has a new batch of baddies on his hands to battle with his mastery of the mystic arts. Joining him in this latest MCU offering is Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch who just might be up to no good. Is this movie pure magic or is it just a lame magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat? Sam Raimi, from Evil Dead and Spider-Man fame, joins the fraternity of MCU movie directors for this one. Check out Van's spoiler-free review!
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Get ready to fly Con Air on a trip to a Face/Off with a National Treasure. Strap in because we're Gone In 60 Seconds. The legend who stars in all these pokes fun at himself by playing himself in The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent. Nicolas Cage, who is never boring, stars in this action comedy with Pedro Pascal that is guaranteed not to bore you. Like the IRS, you'll be obsessed with Cage if you weren't already, so check out this spoiler-free review to learn more about this monumental movie!
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“I will avenge you father, I will save you mother, I will kill you Fjolnir!” To find out what that even means check out this spoiler-free review of the Viking epic, The Northman. If you love sword fighting, bloody action and Willem Dafoe playing a fool, boy, is this the movie for you! Robert Eggers follows up The Witch and The Lighthouse with this bigger budgeted historical revenge tale that’ll illicit some kind of reaction in you. I guarantee that. SKOL!
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He was a boy that became a boxer. Then a boxer that became an actor. Then an actor that became a priest. Mark Wahlberg covers that whole range in "Father Stu" playing the titular Stuart Long character with passion and purpose. Listen in on Van's review of this inspirational, funny, sad, beautiful, tragic, romantic and gritty film that tells the tale of this man that would not be ignored and inspired many.
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Explosions, gunfights, car chases, crashes. Nope. Not another 1800s British period piece romance as you might expect. This is Michael Bay's Ambulance. Come for the not-so-intelligent screenplay but stay for the awesome Bayhem! Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez star in this bank robbery/ambulance hostage-taking/car chase thriller. You'll have a seat to sit in but you'll only need the edge! Check out Van's spoiler-free review of this action extravaganza.
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Imagine if Count Dracula started his life as a emo-doctor born with a rare blood disease. Intrigued? Well, do we have the movie for you! The kinda-MCU presents Morbius starring Jared Leto and yet another baddie with a British accent. Van reviews this thought-provoking comic book thriller torn from today's vampire headlines that finally brings awareness to urban vampire blood culture and its victims!
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Batman ditches the cane and beard to rise up for this third and final chapter in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. Van wraps up his recap of this cinematic triple threat with Bane taking the main stage as Batman's latest villain. For some reason the bad guys really hate Gotham and Batman has to protect his beloved city again. The Movies Merica Signal is shining in the night. Answer the call!
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BOOM! KAPOW! SMASH! We're fighting crime in Gotham in this latest Movies Merica episode going over the classic The Dark Knight. Van Ebert gives you his impressions on the second film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. He discusses the legendary performance from the late, great Heath Ledger as The Joker and how this film expanded what a comic book movie could be among other takes. Like when Batman sees the Bat Signal, run, don't walk to this episode!
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For the next 3 episodes, during the sleepy next 3 weeks of movie releases, we'll be heading back to the Batcave and I'll bring you reviews of all 3 movies in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. First up to bat, 2005's Batman Begins. The movie that made us all realize that this trilogy would be like no Batman movies we'd ever seen before. Nolan brought us his Batman in a world of gritty, down-to-earth, realism with touches of ninja movies, police dramas and action adventure. Be one of the good people of Gotham and listen in!
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Riddle me this, riddle me that, who is afraid of the big, black bat? Watch the latest Dark Knight movie, The Batman, to find out, but first listen to Van's review for more clues. Cloverfield, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes and War For The Planet Of The Apes director Matt Reeves answers the call of the Bat Signal and brings his unique take on the Defender of Gotham to the screen. Will this be closer to The Dark Knight or closer to Batman & Robin? Tune in!
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Get your tail wagging by listening to Van's review of Channing Tatum's latest movie "Dog." It's true the fur does fly in this movie, but is it good? Listen in to find out and decide if you should go check this flick out. This movie brings you a tale of a man and a road trip with a troublesome dog. Maybe bring a furry friend with you to this movie, and if so, don't forget to sneak in some treats!
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Grab some champagne but keep your back to the wall. There's murder afoot in this here murder mystery movie. Check out Van Ebert reviewing the latest Kenneth Branagh-directed movie based on an Agatha Christie novel. We've got Egypt, rich people, champagne and caviar....and some bloody bad deeds.
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Casablanca. The Maltese Falcon. Citizen Kane. Schindler's List. Now picture the complete opposite of those movies and you have Jackass Forever. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and their merry band of bruised and battered stunt puppies are back to tantalize you with more gross out, hilarious stunts. You'll laugh, you'll cry....from more laughing and then laugh some more. Check out Van's raunchy, yet sophisticated, review of this cinematic gift to the world.
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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, feast your eyes on the wonderment and fantastical visions you'll see with this review of Nightmare Alley. Like the carnival in this movie, Van's review has all kinds of freaky things in it. Guillermo Del Toro brings his usual dark and ominous stylings to this noir mystery thriller set in the 30s and 40s. Listen on and behold the awesome spectacles of this podcast episode!
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Elvis. Gun battles. Comic books. Rollercoasters. Mobsters. Romance. Mix 1 part Christian Slater, 1 part Patricia Arquette and strain. This movie has the whole enchilada. Check out Van Ebert reviewing this star-studded, under-appreciated masterpiece of Quentin Tarantino-penned kinetic, frenetic action/romance.
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Ghostface is back to his old bloody killing ways in this requel/reboot/rehash in the Scream franchise. Just like Ghostface, this franchise is hard to kill, and Van Ebert will be your Tour Guide Of Terror through this latest flick with this review. Wes Craven is gone but Scream lives! Check out this episode while keeping your doors locked.
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Cheerio, ol chaps! Fancy an action-packed British spy thriller that's a bit naughty? The King's Man might just be what the Queen ordered. Intercept Van Ebert's review of this latest Kingsman offering from director Matthew Vaughn with the fantastic Ralph Fiennes. Of course Van will be giving a pint of beer a go while doing this review so grab one yourself if you like while listening to this!
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Kurt Warner. The Man. The Myth. The Legend. The Hy Vee grocery store shelf stocker!? Listen in on Van Ebert's review of this cinematic tale of a man who had everything stacked against him but who still rose above it all with hard work and became a NFL legend. If you're starving for some inspiration, or a movie that just makes you feel absolutely lazy, check this out. Listen to this review to get the playbook on this tale of triumph.
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Take the blue pill and you'll go back to sleep. Take the red pill and listen to this review. Take the orange pill and quickly realize it's a jellybean, not a pill. Keanu Reeves is back as Neo in the latest Matrix sequel. I'd say consider this review a public service announcement more than a review. Check it out!
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If you're feeling a little Peter tingle that would be the arrival of Van Ebert's review of the MCU's latest Spidey movie. Whether you listen from your fav beanbag chair, from the top of the Empire State Building or while stuck in traffic, don't miss this webisode going over all things Spider-man, villains, action, explosions, Lego Death Star sets. WARNING: SPOILERS!
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SQUIRREL!!! Grab your Marty Moose egg nog glasses filled to the brim and join Van Ebert around the Christmas tree as he regales you with tales of Christmas Vacation. What movie better exemplifies the Christmas season than a movie with Snots The Dog, disgusting dried out turkey, terrorist squirrels and blatant Christmas lights electrical code violations?
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You've heard of House Of Cards, House Of The Rising Sun, House Of Pancakes? Check out Van Ebert's review of Ridley Scott's House Of Gucci, where the house doesn't always win. This operatic movie has mayhem, scheming, intrigue and espresso. Tune in to hear more. Ciao!
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Who ya gonna call? Ok, ok. I know. No one calls anymore. Who ya gonna text? Listen to Van Ebert wax poetic about the grand releasing of the latest Ghostbusters movie extravaganza. We've got shiny new Ghostbusters. We've got the vintage Ghostbusters from the original movie. You'll hear about it all. Check it out!
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Spend eternity with the Eternals and Van Ebert as he gives you the rundown on Marvel's latest output while enjoying some Michigan beer. Not all heroes wear capes and some sit around and record movie reviews so check out the lamest superhero as he tells you all about Eternals!
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Cheers movie mates! If you fancy a go for a mystery/horror/thriller than sit on your bum and listen to Van regale you with his review of Edgar Wright's latest film. Van will also be enjoying a pint of proper ale from across the pond. Don't have time to listen. Rubbish!
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Strap in for a galactic epic tale of power, love, battle, sandworms, spice and ice, cold beer. Van drinks some Shiner beer while walking you through his thoughts about the movie that is Dune Part One. Brace yourselves!
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Bond. James Bond. Listen to Ebert. Van Ebert give you a for your eyes only brief on Daniel Craig's final Bond movie. We'll have martinis, shaken not stirred, and sleek Bond sports cars aplenty.
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Fists are flying furiously in Van's review of Marvel's Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Check out what he has to say about this cinematic telling of one of the more obscure Marvel characters.
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Put the game controller down for a minute and listen to Van take you through all the levels of the movie within a video game or vice versa that is Free Guy.
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Van puts on his cape and gives his take on this subversive, bloody take on the superhero genre brought to you by James Gunn of Guardians Of The Galaxy fame.
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A momentary trip down movie memory lane to the landmark cinematic masterpiece called American Sniper. Van reviews this biopic of the life of American hero Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.
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